Lawyers’ Agitation In Odisha: SC To Hear Plea On Loss Of 2 Lakh Working Hours In 9 Months

Cuttack: The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a petition of the Orissa high court in connection with the loss of over 2 lakh working hours in the last nine months due to non-participation of members of different bar associations of Odisha in court proceedings.

In the petition, the registrar general of the high court said that such abstentions by lawyers had resulted in a cumulative loss of 2,14,176 working hours in subordinate courts from January 1 to September 30.

On Friday, the Chief Justice of India directed for listing the case on November 14.  “The intimation of listing be informed to both the Bar Council of India and the Bar Council of Orissa and concerned Bars through Registrar General of Orissa High Court with a pious hope that they will see reason before the next date,” the order said.

According to the petition, not only members of Bar associations of western Odisha, but also of other districts have on different occasions not participated in regular court proceedings even after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. The various reasons for the abstinence include demands for the establishment of a permanent bench of the HC in addition to the principal bench in Cuttack, the establishment of courts, crop insurance and enhancement of welfare funds; demise of advocates and judicial officers; floods, scorching heat and Bharat Bandh,

Members of the Bar associations in Sambalpur district have attended only urgent work on September 26 and 27, while observing September 28 as protest day and complete cease work on September 30. In Ganjam, members of Bar associations observe satyagraha/dharna during the last four working days of every month. The members of the district Bar association at Jeypore of Koraput district are not participating in the last two working days of every month and those in Berhampur are observing daylong ceasework on the last Friday of every month, it said.

The petition further informed about the Bhubaneswar Bar Association’s decision to boycott the court of district & sessions judge, Khurda, from  October 12 till the issues are resolved.

According to the latest data, more than 15 lakh cases are pending in the subordinate courts of the state.