HC bar asso expels three; DCP gets legal notice

The Orissa High Court Bar Association Friday expelled three senior advocates from the body and showcaused the Bar Council of Odisha (BCO) chairman for their alleged attempt to weaken the ongoing statewide lawyers' agitation.

The lawyers under the banner of the Bar Association have been on indefinite strike since August 29 following the alleged assault on a colleague at Nuabazar here on the previous day. They have been demanding arrest of the policemen involved in the assault.

"The General Body of the Association on the day resolved to suspend the membership of Senior Advocate Asim Amitav Dash, Milan Kanungo and Banshidhar Satapathy.

"Since (BCO chairman Dr Tahali Charan) Mohanty has already tendered an apology, he has been issued a notice to show cause as to why his membership from the Association shall not be suspended," said Association Secretary Satyabrata Mohanty.

The Association resolved to continue the agitation till November 9, the date fixed by the High Court to hear all the three writ petitions pertaining to the lawyer-police strife arising out of the August 28 incident.

Meanwhile, the 'assaulted' advocate Patnaik, who had also been booked in three cases, has approached the High Court for quashing of the FIRs against him and has also sought interim protection. All his petitions are scheduled to be taken up on November 12.

In another related development, secretary of Cuttack Criminal Court Bar Association Pradeep Kumar Parida issued a legal notice to Cuttack City DCP Akhileswar Singh.

Parida has alleged that Singh had tried to defame him in the eyes of general public by taking his name among those advocates who had apparently negotiated with the police to call off the lawyers' strike.

Singh had earlier this week alleged that advocates had reached an agreement with the police on September 25 to call off the strike, if at least two policemen are arrested.

"Although the arrests were made, the lawyers did not keep their words and the strike continued," the DCP had said.

Parida claimed that he was not present at the meeting in which the so-called agreement was reached.