File picture of lawyers protesting in front of the revenue divisional commissioner’s office in Sambalpur

Cuttack, Sept. 26: Orissa High Court lawyers today went on a sudden strike in protest against a statement of finance minister Prasanna Acharya on the issue of having a separate bench of the court in western Odisha.

The lawyers have decided to abstain from court work indefinitely.

Litigants suffered as hundreds of cases listed for hearing before different judges could not be taken up as the lawyers refused to work in the post-lunch session.

The finance minister yesterday said that the state government had not denied the idea of a permanent bench of the high court in western Odisha.

“The state government is ready to write a letter to the Centre for the establishment of a bench of the high court in the western region without waiting for the final report of the Justice C.R. Pal Commission of Inquiry,” he said.

“The statement given by the finance minister without waiting for the Commission’s report was unwarranted,” High Court Bar Association secretary Janmejaya Katikia told The Telegraph.

The High Court Bar Association labelled the minister’s statement as a “prevaricating stand” of the state government. The lawyers gathered during the lunch session today at the association hall and passed a resolution to abstain from court work.

The extraordinary general body meeting of the bar association presided by Bijan Behari Ray resolved to take a decision on future course of action on September 30. A delegation of the association will meet the chief minister, the finance minister and the law minister to voice their “grievance”.

The court today could not proceed with the public interest litigation seeking the fast-track court trial of the accused in the rape and murder of a 14-year-old blind girl on Puri-Konark marine drive on June 7. The state government was to submit the action-taken report on implementation of the recommendations of the National Women’s Commission in the case.