Work in Sambalpur court affected

Work at the local was affected Wednesday as lawyers staged a demonstration demanding setting up of a high court bench in western Odisha.

The lawyers, who demonstrated at the Nelson Mandela Chowk here, decided to continue to their stir till the completion of the ongoing monsoon session of Odisha Assembly scheduled on September 20.

They also decided to paralyse the functioning of the revenue courts from Thursday till that date.

Convenor of the Action Committee of Sambalpur Bar Association, Pradeep Bohidar said the lawyers demand that the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik write to the Centre seeking early setting up of the high court bench and form an expert committee to pursue the matter.

Though Patnaik had written to the Centre seeking steps for establishment of the high court bench in western and southern Odisha, the lawyers are refusing to withdraw their agitation as they are yet to get any official communication from the state government in this regard, he said.

As of now the agitation is on. As the decision to resort to agitation was taken in the general body meeting of the Sambalpur Bar Association on September 4, the decision on the future course of action will also be taken in the general body meeting, Bohidar added.