Cuttack, Dec. 12: A strike by Orissa High Court lawyers today paralysed proceedings with hundreds of cases going without hearing.

The striking lawyers did not attend proceedings, including hundreds of bail and anticipatory bail applications, as a mark of solidarity for the protest by the State Administrative Tribunal Bar Association, Cuttack, against chief minister Naveen Patnaik's decision to abolish the tribunal.

In a recent statement in the Assembly, Naveen said there was no necessity to withdraw the state government's decision to abolish the tribunal.

High Court Bar Association secretary Umesh Chandra Behura said: "We abstained from court proceedings today in response to request by the tribunal's bar association. We also condemn the chief minister's statement."

The lawyers' absence from proceedings forced the postponement of several hearings, including the application for a six-month interim bail on health grounds by the prime accused in a deposit collection scam case.

Durga Prasad Mishra, the managing director of a micro-finance company, was arrested by CBI on December 15, 2014 and has been in custody since. He had moved the high court in May 2015 after a local court in Khurda rejected his bail petition.

Mishra had filed for interim bail on the grounds that he was suffering from serious ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and post-renal artery stenting that required frequent specialised medical attention. The Jharapada special jail superintendent was directed to submit a report. The case was listed for hearing today.

The court also could not proceed with the bail petition of the chief managing director of the Seashore Group of Companies, Prashant Kumar Dash, a prime accused in the multi-crore deposit collection scam. He had moved the high court after his bail plea was rejected by a lower court in April 2015. The bail application was taken up first in June 2015. The petitioner's counsel was to argue his case today, but the court could not take it up in the absence of lawyers.

The State Administrative Tribunal Bar Association, Cuttack, had initially announced a cease work on December 12 and requested members of the high court bar association to abstain from court work.

"As the state government announced December 12 as a holiday, we shifted the cease work to December 13," said State Administrative Tribunal Bar Association, Cuttack, president Ulash Chandra Mohanty.

"We abstained from court work today as tomorrow is a holiday for the high court," High Court Bar Association secretary Behura said.