BHUBANESWAR : With the Opposition BJD questioning the state government about the fate of the high court bench in western Odisha, Revenue minister Suresh Pujari on Monday said the Bar Associations should come up with a consensus location where it can be established.
Responding to queries from mediapersons, the minister said lawyers of western and southern Odisha are demanding permanent benches in their regions. The necessary course of action should be to find a location acceptable to all for which they should come to a common platform and discuss the issue.
“The second important aspect is that the Governor and Chief Justice of Orissa High Court have an important role to play in sending a composite proposal to the Supreme Court for approval. The state government has the responsibility to develop infrastructure and bear the recurring cost of the bench,” he said.
“We are also in support of a permanent bench of the high court to deliver justice at the doorsteps of the people. As a member of the Lok Sabha, I had raised the issue several times in the Parliament. All depends on the common agreement of all district bar associations on the location. I am in touch with lawyers of the state and trying to build a consensus over a single location,” Pujari said.
He said the Justice Jaswant Singh Commission had recommended some broad principles and criteria to be followed while deciding the question of expediency and desirability of establishment of a bench of a high court away from the principal seat, and factors to be borne in mind while selecting the site. It is for the lawyers of the state to act as per the criteria set out by the commission.
The issue has been reignited after the Maharashtra government issued a notification for establishment of an HC bench at Kolhapur, which will become operational from August 18, 2025.
However, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had last year ruled out the possibility of setting up a HC bench in the state following the Supreme Court order saying there is no justification for such bench in Odisha.