All eyes are on the Orissa High Court lawyers, who have set Friday to decide the future course of action after being on strike for 72 days.

The lawyers have been on indefinite strike since August 29 following the alleged assault on their colleague, Debi Prasad Pattnaik, near the fish market at Nuabazar on the previous day. They are demanding action against all the police personnel involved in the assault.

All the courts in the city remain paralysed as lawyers in the lower courts have also boycotted proceedings in support of the demand.

The lower courts, where lawyers have ceased work over the issue, include criminal courts, civil courts, Central Administrative Tribunal, State Administrative Tribunal, Board of Revenue, Motor Accident Claim Tribunal, Debt Recovery Tribunal, Consumer and Tax Court.

“Our strike is on as the state government has not taken action according to our demand for the arrest of three other police personnel involved in the assault. Our general body meeting will be held at 3pm on Friday for further course of action,” said High Court Bar Association secretary Satyabrata Mohanty.

Sources said much of the decision might also depend on the outcome of the high court order on the probe being conducted into the incident by the CID-crime branch.

On October 30, the high court fixed November 9 as deadline for the inspector general (CID-crime branch) to complete inquiry into the police-lawyer brawl and submit report.

The court had even asked Justice C.R. Dash, a sitting judge, to “supervise” the probe met the deadline.

IG (crime branch) Arun Kumar Bothra started inquiry into the police-lawyer rift on October 2 after the Supreme Court, taking note of it, asked him to probe the matter on September 27.

The high court has been adjudicating on two PILs that have sought judicial probe into the incident.