Odisha courts remain shut as protests continue

Cuttack: Judicial work has come to a standstill across Odisha with lawyers continuing their protests over various demands.

Orissa High Court lawyers have been on strike since one of their colleagues was allegedly thrashed by a police officer at Nayabazar in Cuttack on August 28, 2018.  As per the reports, 164 different lawyer organisations have come forward to support their strike.

Lawyers at Balasore today observed bandh inside court and raised slogans demanding the immediate arrest of the errant police officer who thrashed the lawyer in Cuttack.

“If no action is taken against the accused police officer within Monday, then the Bar Association has decided to launch an all-Odisha bandh,” informed Balasore Bar Association secretary, Sambit Nanda.

Meanwhile, a bench constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court expressed its dissatisfaction over the snail’s pace at which the probe is going on and directed the case to be handed over to a DIG-rank police official.

On the other hand, lawyers in Western Odisha have been on strike since September 17, 2018 demanding a permanent bench of the High Court bench in the region.