Bhubaneswar/Berhampur: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Justice Mohammed Rafiq inaugurated the new court building of Civil Judge Junior Division-cum-JMFC at Hinjilicut in Ganjam district on virtual platform.
Congratulating the people of Hinjili for the new court building, the Chief Minister said that Right to Justice is a fundamental right and his government is committed to strengthen the justice delivery system.
Stating that the government has established four new courts in the state to decide commercial disputes despite the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said 45 courts have recently been established to exclusively try offences against women.
Speaking on the government’s commitment to protect the interests of lawyer community, he informed that the annual grant by the government to the Odisha Advocates’ Welfare Fund has recently been increased from Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore.
He added that the Government has taken the initiative of amending the provisions of Odisha Advocates Welfare Fund Act, 1961 to permit usage of such funds to provide financial assistance to the lawyers.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Justice Mohammed Rafiq of Orissa High Court thanked the state government for providing the land for the new court building at Hinjilicut. The building has all the infrastructure provisions to facilitate justice system, he added.
Stating that despite the restrictions posed by the pandemic, the courts in Odisha are committed to provide justice to people, he said the Orissa High Court has disposed nearly 40,000 cases by December 14, 2020.
Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra; Justice Biswajit Mohanty, Judge of Orissa High Court; MP Pramila Bisoi; Development Commissioner Suresh Chandra Mohapatra; Principal Secretary Home Sanjeev Chopra; Secretary, Law Sashikanta Mishra, Ganjam Collector, president of Hinjilicut Bar Association were present. Secretary to Chief Minister (5-T) VK Pandian moderated the programme.
