BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition BJP and Congress on Tuesday supported the demand for a permanent high court bench in western Odisha in view of the growing population and increasing number of court cases. However, the government is yet to make any statement over the issue.
Leader of the Opposition and senior BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra blamed the state government for the unpleasant situation during lawyers agitation at Sambalpur on Monday and alleged that a concrete proposal is yet to be sent to the Centre by the state.
Stating that the Centre is clear on the issue, Mishra said as soon as the state government gives a concrete proposal specifying the place for establishment of high court bench, the Centre will take appropriate steps in this regard.
Noting that there is tremendous pressure on the high court due to ever increasing case load, Mishra said more benches are required for reducing the burden and speedy disposal of cases. Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingh Mishra, however, targeted both the Centre and the state government for the situation. Stating that the Centre will have to pass a law in Parliament for setting up a bench of the high court, he said that a concrete proposal from the Centre is also required. He said the state government no doubt has submitted a proposal, but it is silent on where the bench will be set up.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in a letter to then Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on January 11, 2019, had requested him to take early decision on the establishment of high court benches in western and southern Odisha in view of the unrelenting agitation by people of these areas.
Referring to the letters written by him to the Centre on September 28, 2013, February 13, 2014 and September 5, 2018 on this issue, the chief minister had said that there is more than adequate justification for establishment of permanent benches in these regions.
However, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has made it clear in a written reply in Rajya Sabha that the Odisha government is yet to submit a detailed proposal for establishment of benches of Orissa High Court including its location in consultation with the high court.