Cuttack/Bhubaneswar, Sept. 15: The agitation by lawyers, practising at the Odisha Administrative Tribunal (OAT) against its abolition, intensified today with Orissa High Court Bar Association announcing its support and deciding cease work tomorrow.
A delegation of the Bhubaneswar Bar Association today met governor S.C. Jamir and staged a protest against the state cabinet's decision. They also presented a memorandum to the governor, urging him to intervene.
Earlier during the day, the lawyers took to the street and blocked the National Highway No. 203 outside the court near the BJB College. They burnt tyres on the road and raised slogans against the government's decision to abolish the OAT.
Lawyer Sibananda Ray said: "The government should withdraw its decision. Otherwise the lawyers will be forced to launch a statewide agitation for an indefinite period. The lawyers across the state have lent their support to the OAT Bar Association. The state government's decision is unfortunate and undemocratic."
The OAT bar associations have 1,200-odd members, who have been on strike since September 10, a day after the state cabinet approved the proposal to abolish the OAT, which was established on July 14, 1986.
High Court Bar Association's secretary Bijay Kumar Ragada said: "Tomorrow, we will abstain from court work for a day to lend our support to the agitation."
The Cuttack OAT Bar Association had approached all bar associations in the city, including the Orissa High Court Bar Association, seeking their support to press for revoking of the state government's decision. Accordingly, a joint meeting was held here today.
Cuttack OAT Bar Association president Ulash Chandra Mohanty said it was decided at the joint meeting that lawyers of all other bar associations in Cuttack will abstain from court work tomorrow "in support of our agitation".
The state government announced that the decision to abolish the OAT after it had been felt that the institution's objective to give quick justice to employees in the service matters could not be achieved.
On September 9, chief secretary Gokul Chandra Pati had cited a decade-old Supreme Court judgment in the L. Chandra Kumar (1997) case and said: "The very objective of the establishment of the tribunal to deliver quick justice to the government employees could not be achieved. So, the proposal for abolition of the OTA was considered by the cabinet and approved in principle." However, the employees associations have opposed the move.
"The lower rung of the state government officials will no more be able to get justice. The tribunal is the forum, which is easily accessible to the employees. The Group C and D employees will not dare to approach the high court," said Chitta Ranjan Hota, a government official.
More than 54,000 cases are pending before the OAT. The state government had decided to shortly send a proposal to the Centre asking it to issue a notification for the tribunal's abolition, following which the pending cases will be transferred to the high court.
In another development, the Pradesh Congress Committee has floated a new idea to substitute the tribunal with a special service bench of Orissa High Court with its headquarters in Bhubaneswar. The BJP has also condemned the move to abolish the OAT.
