Orissa HC adjourns contempt hearing over lawyers' strike to

The full bench of the Orissa High Court on Monday adjourned to January 27 hearing of a contempt petition it had initiated against 68 bar associations of Odisha for frequent strikes by lawyers in the state.

Concerned over the frequent strikes by lawyers in Odisha, the court had instituted the contempt petition on the basis of a report by its own registry.

While 51 bar associations through their respective counsels have so far recorded their presence before the court, 17 others have not yet appeared before it, sources said.

Many respondents have also not completely suspended their ongoing stir.

The full bench of the court, as the last chance, granted time to the erring bar associations to appear before it and file their affidavits before the next date of hearing the case on January 27.

The Orissa High Court bar association had passed a resolution on November 1 indicating therein, that the general body of the association had resolved to suspend the 'abstaining from court work.

Following this, the contempt petition against this association was dropped on November 4.