Sambalpur: The Sambalpur District Bar Association on Thursday burnt the effigy of Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and termed his letter to chief minister Naveen Patnaik on the setting up of a high court bench as "uncalled for".
Prasad in his letter to Naveen has stated the need "to have necessary consultation with Chief Justice of Orissa High Court" on the issue.
Angry over the letter's content, hundreds of lawyers assembled at the Shahid pillar at Kacheri Chowk and marched to the busy Gole Bazaar Chowk carrying the effigy of Prasad.
After burning the minister's effigy, they took the oath to intensify their agitation till the bench was set up.
"We have rejected the unwanted letter written by Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to chief minister Naveen Patnaik. Instead of bringing in an ordinance, he is playing with the sentiment of the people of Odisha," president of the bar association Jitendriya Pradhan told The Telegraph.
Prasad has requested the state government to send a comprehensive proposal in consultation with the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court on the issue of setting up benches in southern and western Odisha.
Prasad's letter came in response to the letter written by Naveen on September 5 in which he urged him to expedite the formal process to set up the benches. Prasad's reply came on September 12 in which he stated that the state government should work out the details. The details include provision of land, building for the high court bench and residential accommodation for judges and staff in consultation with the Chief Justice.
Patnaik in his letter said that setting up of high court benches was necessary to mitigate the inconvenience faced by litigants in west and south Odisha. He also reiterated his assurance that the state would provide adequate resources for setting up the benches.
"After the third letter of the chief minister we were hopeful that Centre will bring an ordinance for setting up of the benches in Odisha as it is clearly mentioned in the letter that state will provide land, building and other infrastructure southern and western Odisha. Prasad's letter shows that the Centre intends to shirk its responsibility," said Niranjan Tripathy a senior lawyer and secretary of the Central Action committee (CAC), a body of lawyers of various bar associations of western Odisha, spearheading the agitation on the bench issue.
"It is the duty of the central government to bring an ordinance to establish the bench. Chief minister's letter is very clear that the state wants benches in both southern and western Odisha. It is also clearly mentioned that state will bear the expenditure, " said senior lawyer H. Dani.
Since September 5, the bar association is continuing its agitation for setting up of the bench in western Odisha. This has affected functioning of judicial and civil courts here.
To press their demand, the CAC has been preventing judges from entering courts on the last three working days of each month. The lawyers had also demonstrated in New Delhi in November 2016 and later near the high court in Cuttack to draw attention of the Centre and Orissa High Court.
