Devbrat Patnaik

Sambalpur: Intensifying the long-standing demand of a permanent High Court bench, members of the Western Odisha Lawyers’ Association today informed that all the courts in the town will remain closed till the end of the Monsoon Session of Odisha Assembly on September 20.

However, the Association notified that all government offices will remain open during the said period of shutdown.

Despite CM Naveen Patnaik requesting Union Law and Justice Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad to expedite the formal process for setting up the HC benches, the agitating lawyers, after a meeting today, decided to continue the cease-work stir demanding the state government to send a team of legal experts to hold discussions with the Centre on the issue.

Meanwhile, Sambalpur District Bar Association members too staged picketing resulting in shut down of Collectorate office and revenue department offices. They have clearly stated protests against both the Centre and the State government will continue in Sambalpur.

It may be mentioned here that a 15-member delegation of the Central Action Committee had met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on August 6 demanding establishment of a permanent bench of the Orissa High Court in western Odisha.

Following this, the CM wrote to Ravi Shankar Prasad mentioning that establishment of HC benches is necessary to mitigate the inconvenience faced by the litigants in southern and western regions of the State.

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