BHUBANESWAR: BJP on Saturday once again launched an attack on the state government over the violence that erupted during lawyers’ agitation for establishment of permanent bench of the Orissa High Court in Sambalpur.
Expressing concern over the silence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the sensitive issue when over two dozen practising advocates are languishing in jail, BJP MP from Bargarh and member of Sambalpur Bar Association Suresh Pujari said the unpleasant incident could have been averted had the state government taken timely action.
“It is the state government which is responsible for the violence. The silence of the chief minister is most unfortunate,” he said. Coming down heavily on the state government for not furnishing a detailed report to the Centre for establishment of a permanent bench of High Court at Sambalpur, Pujari said if the state had replied to the letter of the union law minister and submitted a detailed proposal for a bench after discussions with the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court, such situation would not have happened.
With several lawyers in judicial custody and bar licence of many cancelled, Pujari said court works have been severely hampered and people are the ultimate sufferers. Pujari who had sought the intervention of the chief minister to resolve the crisis said the latter’s stoic silence on the issue is baffling. He said a 12-member delegation comprising five members of parliament and seven legislators will visit Sambalpur on December 27 to meet the lawyers who were arrested and sent to jail. The delegation will meet office bearers of different lawyers associations, representatives of civil societies, judicial officers of the local court and top officials of the district and police administration.
Apart from Pujari, MPs Jual Oram, Basanta Panda, Sangeeta Singh Deo, Nitesh Ganga Deb, leader of opposition Jayanarayan Mishra and MLAs Nauri Nayak, Bhabani Shankar Bhoi, Subash Panigrahi, Mukesh Mahaling, Shankar Oram and Kusum Tete will be part of the delegation.