ROURKELA:Members of Rourkela Bar Association (RBA) locked the Family court here protesting judicial vacancies on Monday.Around 1,550 cases are pending in the Family Court at Rourkela. Moreover, the post of Family Judge has been lying vacant since long due to which women litigants and the general public are failing to get timely justice, said the agitating lawyers and demanded immediate posting of judicial officers in various courts.
Former RBA president Ramesh Bal said with promotional transfer of the Judge, the Family Court has become defunct from October 4 last year. On an average, the Family Court registers a case daily. While pending cases are piling up, women litigants of Rourkela, RN Pali and Birmitrapur Assembly constituencies and part of Rajgangpur are failing to get justice and facing harassment, he claimed.
Bal also pointed out that the Family Court had remained defunct from October 1, 2016 to May 16, 2017 in the absence of any Presiding Officer.
While the judiciary is increasingly laying thrust on empowerment of women and providing them justice, the Family Court here is failing to give succour to the suffering litigants. Though new cases are getting registered on a regular basis, neither the summons are issued nor hearing is held, Bal said.
Implementation of interim maintenances in mutual divorce cases are not being implemented while Family Court employees are not able to get salaries in absence of competent drawing and disbursal authority, Bal said and demanded filling up of the vacant post of Magistrate for the designated UTP court.
RBA president Satya Sharma said, “In view of the legitimate demand, we are expecting that the Orissa High Court would ensure immediate posting of Family Judge.” Work in two courts of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) has also been hit due to vacancies of Magistrates, Sharma said and appealed to the HC for immediate corrective measures.
Earlier from February 19 to 24, members of RBA had paralysed work in all courts and Government offices demanding setting up of the proposed HC bench at Rourkela, declaration of the Steel City as an independent judicial district, setting up a CBI court and record room besides posting of judges in different courts.