Members of the High Court Bar Association, Orissa, will stay away from court work on Thursday and take out a peaceful march from Bhubaneswar Club to Lok Bhawan to press for immediate appointment of judges to the Orissa High Court.
In a letter addressed to all local bar associations of Kataka, Secretary Hrudananda Mohapatra said a General Body Meeting held on Sept 22 unanimously resolved that association members would march at 10.30 a.m. on October 1 to submit a memorandum to the Governor of Odisha. The memorandum is meant for onward transmission to the President of India on the issue of appointments to the High Court.
The letter states that members have also decided not to attend court that day. Other associations have been invited to join and cooperate.
The protest comes amid a prolonged shortage of judges. The High Court’s sanctioned strength is 33. Recent reports put the working strength at around 15 after transfers of senior judges, leaving the court functioning at less than half strength while dealing with a pendency of nearly 1.7 lakh cases.
Bar leaders have earlier described the situation as unsustainable, citing delays in listing urgent matters and growing hardship for litigants. The association has previously written to the President, the Chief Justice of India and the Supreme Court Collegium seeking faster appointments. Four names recommended by the Collegium in August were still awaiting government action as of late August.
President Lalatendu Samantaray and Secretary Hrudananda Mohapatra have led the campaign. The October 1 programme is the latest step after the Sept 22 resolution. The letter asks participating associations to intimate the High Court Bar Association in advance.
The march is described as peaceful. Whether it leads to further street action will depend on how quickly vacancies are filled, association office-bearers have indicated in earlier statements.
