CUTTACK: Members of Orissa High Court Bar Association (OHCBA) on Thursday abstained from work in the court of Chief Justice KS Jhaveri in protest against indifference towards their demands.
Association president Gopal Krushna Mohanty told media persons that the boycott will continue till a decision is taken on the future course of action on August 29. It has also been decided at the general body meet of OHCBA that a seven-member committee will meet the Chief Justice and submit a memorandum of demands, he added.
The association has decided to hold an emergent general body meeting on Monday after receiving a requisition from its members. The agenda of the meeting includes disrespect shown by the Chief Justice to the members of the Bar Association.
Besides the meeting will also take up the issues of the Chief Justice permitting abolition of State Administrative Tribunal, recommending the name of an outsider for appointment as judge of High Court, attempting to bring agenda in full court for bifurcation of Orissa High Court and discriminating and distinguishing among senior members of the Association to be designated as senior advocate, said OHCBA secretary Sanjay Kumar Das, who had issued the notice.
On August 8, the High Court registry had issued a notice inviting suggestions and views, if any by September 8 on the proposed names of 42 applicant advocates to be designated as senior advocates. But on August 19, the Chief Justice through a notification designated five advocates as ‘Senior Advocate’.
Earlier, OHCBA had boycotted the court for 26 days between June and July along with the court of two other senior most judges, who constitute the collegium which recommends names for appointment as judge of the High Court.
OHCBA has been demanding withdrawal of recommendation of the name of a lawyer who is not a regular practitioner of the High Court for appointment as judge of the court. The Association had decided to suspend and keep in abeyance their boycott and adopt a wait and watch policy till the Supreme Court collegium takes a decision.