Cuttack: The Orissa High Court Bar Association has sought the attention of the Chief Justice of India to the huge vacancies in the post of judges and also the need for increasing the number of posts.

In a memorandum to the CJI, the association claimed that the "general public of Odisha are facing hardship and untold miseries" as the court has been functioning with 16 judges against a sanctioned strength of 27.

"The present strength will come down to 14 very shortly due to the retirement of two of the sitting judges of the high court in the month of June/July, 2018. Such inconceivable situation of our high court shall be detrimental if the vacancies are not filled up soon," the memorandum said.

"Filing of new cases that have increased enormously, coupled with non-disposal of pending cases, are creating havoc in justice delivery system. To overcome this, the existing vacancies need to be fulfilled as expeditiously as possible," bar association president Srikanta Kumar Nayak and secretary Satyabrata Mohanty contended in the memorandum.

Mohanty said the memorandum was sent to the CJI on Thursday. He said memoranda were also sent to the President, the Prime Minister and the Union law minister demanding appointment of judges and a delegation of the association will shortly go to Delhi to meet them.

The association expressed apprehension that "the pendency of cases will go up to a mountain high having far reaching consequences".

The pending cases in the high court was 1,70,368 on February 23.