SAMBALPUR/BHUBANESWAR: The hope for a permanent high court (HC) bench in western Odisha has been rekindled with the Centre once again giving assurance to consider the demand if the state government submitted a complete proposal in proper format with the consent of the Orissa High Court.In a letter to BJP’s Bargarh MP Suresh Pujari, Union Law Minister Union Law Minister said no complete proposal regarding setting up of bench(es) of Orissa High Court is pending with the central government.
“The Odisha government has requested for setting up high court bench in western and southern regions of the state. The central government has requested the government of Odisha, time and again, to work out details of the proposed benches including its location in consultation with High Court of Orissa. However, no response has been received yet,” the letter said.
Rijiju further said, “The state government along with Orissa High Court needs to work out details including provision of land, building of high court and residential accommodation for judges and staff of the proposed bench. Once the state government communicates the proposal along with the consent of the high court, the government will take further necessary action.”
The letter was in response to the query of Pujari who had raised the issue in Lok Sabha on December 22, 2022 and sought to know the status of the proposal for a permanent bench of the high court in western Odisha.
The Union Law Minister’s letter has come as a major relief for the people of western Odisha who had lost hope for a permanent HC bench after the Supreme Court took a tough stand against the lawyers agitating over the issue by cancelling their bar licenses and ordering for arrest of those involved in the violence inside Sambalpur district court complex on December 12, 2022.