Cuttack, Oct. 25: The Orissa High Court Bar Association today decided to continue its cease work against chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s proposal to the Centre for setting up permanent benches of the high court in western and southern Odisha.

The association will decide on its further course of action after a meeting with the high court Chief Justice on October 29.

The lawyers have been on strike since September 26 on the ground that Naveen’s proposal has ignored legal precedents. Union law minister Kapil Sibal has sought from Naveen “the specific location” of the two high court benches proposed by him, apart from “availability of land and resources for infrastructure, staff and other facilities”.

Further action will be taken “as per response from the high court”, the Union law minister has indicated in his reply to Naveen’s letter on October 23.

Chief Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel has called for a meeting with the association on October 29.

Senior advocate Jaganath Patnaik said: “A 10-member delegation will meet the Chief Justice on October 29. Future course of action will be decided the next day.”

Sibal’s reply has made it clear that the high court benches are established after due consideration of a complete proposal from the state government, which should also have the consent of the Chief Justice of the concerned high court,” said senior advocate N.C. Panigrahi, who will lead the delegation.

In 1997, the chief minister had recommended setting up of high court benches in Sambalpur and Berhampur, following which the lawyers had gone on strike.

The then Chief Justice, Asok Kumar Ganguly, had turned down Naveen’s proposal. In a letter on December 4, 2007, he said: “The high court is the best suited machinery to decide on whether it is necessary and feasible to have a bench outside the principal seat of the high court. If the high court does not favour such establishment, it is pernicious to dissect a high court into different regions on the ground of political or other considerations.”