Cuttack, Aug. 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party city unit’s bandh call to support Anna Hazare hardly evoked any response today but proceedings were disrupted at Orissa High Court with lawyers not attending the court citing inconvenience due to the bandh.

The High Court Bar Association (HCBA) did not attend court proceedings for the day after passing a resolution today.

“On the basis of a requisition made by a large number of members, an extraordinary general body meeting was held today. After due deliberation, the members were unanimous that due to the bandh call given by some political parties, it will not be convenient on the part of the lawyers to attend the court work. Hence, it was resolved that members cannot attend the court today,” the resolution said.

“Our decision should not be construed as support to any bandh call,” HCBA secretary Lalatendu Samantaray said.

Due to the Association’s decision, several litigants were adversely affected. For Bamdev Pradhan and Netramani Pradhan in jail, “it was a day lost”.

“Both had already spent three years in jail when the trial court convicted them and sentenced them to six years imprisonment recently in a case related to August 2008 Kandhamal riots. They had filed a writ appeal and their bail plea was listed for hearing today. But it could not be taken up,” their counsel said.

Around 615 cases were listed for hearing today before different benches of the high court.

The court could not proceed with Durmila Sahoo’s petition seeking a CBI probe into death of her son Nabhagana Sahoo (chairman of Hindol block panchayat samiti), which is being probed by the State CID-crime branch since June. The state government was directed to submit an up-to-date case diary today. “We were ready with the case diary, but it could not be submitted,” the government counsel said. The court had decided to take up the petition along with a PIL to consider on the necessity of a CBI probe only after the perusal of the case diary.

While the BJP’s city unit had given a dawn-to-dusk bandh call, major markets, business establishments, banks and educational institutions remained open. Bus services also remained unaffected.

BJP city president Nayan Ranjan Prasad said: “The bandh call was given to support the Jan Lokpal Bill and Anna Hazare.”

The saffron party activists took out motorcycle rallies in different parts of the city trying to forcibly close shops and business establishments.

“We support the Jan Lokpal Bill and Anna Hazare. But attempts to gain political mileage out of it by trying to force bandh is not called for,” said Pitabas Sahu, a resident of Manisahu Chhak.

Shops at Buxi Bazar, Manisahu Chhak, Matha Matha and Howrah Motors opened after being forcibly closed in the morning. A number of shops at Pithapur, Choudhry Bazar, Mangalabag and Ranihat kept their shutters down till noon to avoid trouble.

Police said no untoward incidents were reported.