Submit Details On Established Procedures For HC Bench, Centre Tells Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Centre has asked the state government to furnish details on the established procedures for the setting up two permanent benches of the Orissa High Court in southern and western Odisha.

In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday, Union Law and Justice Minister Rabi Shankar Prasad asked him to discuss the matter with the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.

The Union Minister has also asked the Chief Minister to identify the location and land required for the construction of the building of the two High Court benches and the residential area for judges.

He has also requested the Chief Minister to specify the jurisdiction of the two proposed benches and submit a proposal after finalising the details with the consent of the High Court Chief Justice so that the Centre can take the necessary steps.

Reacting to the letter of the Union Minister, senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya, said the Chief Minister has assured the Centre time and again of providing the necessary infrastructure for the proposed High Court benches. “The letter of the Union Minister is a clear indication that the Centre is trying to put the ball in others’ court as it does not want to own any responsibility,” he told the media here.

Replying to the request made by the Union Minister to the Chief Minister to discuss the issue with the High Court Chief Justice, Acharya said, “Is it not the responsibility of the Centre to discuss the issue with the High Court Chief Justice?”

The Union Minister has written the letter in response to the letter of the Chief Minister on September 5 this year. In his letter, the Chief Minister had said that there has been persistent demand from the people of these regions for setting up permanent benches of Orissa High Court to mitigate the inconvenience faced by the litigants.