CUTTACK: A division bench of Orissa High Court on Tuesday directed for deletion of both Chief Justice and Permanent Committee for designation of Senior Advocates from the list of opposite parties named in the petitions challenging the selection process undertaken nearly a month ago.
However, the bench constituting Justice CR Dash and Justice AK Rath issued notices to the High Court’s Registrar General and Registrar (Judicial) to file responses to the petitions by October 24, the date fixed for hearing on the matter. The bench also issued notices to five advocates designated as senior advocates, who had been named as opposite parties in the petitions, to file their responses by then. The bench had taken up for analogous hearing two petitions - one filed by advocate Bansidhar Baug and another by advocate Karunakar Jena along with two others.
The High Court registry had on August 9 issued a notice inviting suggestion and views, if any on proposed names of 45 applicant advocates to be designated as senior advocates, by September 9.
But the Chief Justice had through a notification on August 19 designated five advocates as “Senior Advocate”. The petitions have sought quashing of the notification issued on August 19 on the ground that it was “arbitrary and illegal”.