Cuttack: Close on the heels of the ongoing faceoff between the police and the agitating lawyers, the Orissa High Court Bar Association will take a decision on its next course action at its general body meeting tomorrow. A decision to this effect was taken at a joint meeting of the HC Bar and the District Bar Associations here in the evening.
Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, president of the High Court Bar Association Srikant Nayak, said the representatives of the district bar associations were unanimous in their opinion that they will abide by whatever decision the HC Bar will take on this matter.
“It has been decided that as the HC Bar will take a decision at its general body meeting tomorrow, there will be no court work till such period,” Nayak said.
Meanwhile, following the assault on two constables inside the High Court premises on October 27, the Havildar, Sepoy and Constable Mahasangh in a press meet on Thursday gave 48 hours to the state government to take immediate action against the culprits.
“Though the two constables had lodged a complaint in the police station, no action has been taken till date. We have given 48 hours to the state government to take immediate action failing which all the members of the Mahasangh will resort to cease-work and stage a silent protest across the state from November 3. If necessary, the Mahasangh will withdraw from all security arrangements,” president of the Mahasangh Santosh Satpathy said.
Meanwhile, in a petition, RTI activist Pradip Biswal has prayed the Supreme Court to direct the Law and Justice Ministry and the Registrar General of the Orissa High Court to make a comprehensive rules/mechanism governing the lawyers, who are agitating on petty issues and obstructing the justice delivery system.
Besides, he has also prayed to the apex court to direct the chairman of the Odisha State Bar Council and the president and secretary of the Orissa High Court Bar Association to stop the agitation immediately and to let the judicial system work smoothly in the interest of the already suffering litigants.
Apart from this, the petitioner has also appealed the apex court to direct the aforesaid respondents to formulate a mechanism based on the provisions and rules in the Advocates Act, 1961 and also direct the Central government to pass appropriate guidelines relating to the issue in hand