A detailed plan for the establishment of Orissa High Court benches, including their placement in conjunction with the HC, has not yet been given by the Odisha government.
This information was provided by Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju in a written response to a question posed by Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, a Congress MP from Koraput, in the Lok Sabha on Friday. Rijiju stated that several organisations, including the state government of Odisha, have occasionally requested the installation of high court benches outside of the high courts’ main locations.
According to him, the Odisha government has asked for an Orissa high court bench to be established in the state’s western and southern regions. “The federal government has asked the state of Odisha to work out the specifics of the proposed benches, including their location, in coordination with the Orissa high court. But no response has yet been received, “stated the Minister of Law.
He stated that no detailed request from the Odisha government on the establishment of a high court bench is currently pending with the Centre. When asked about the standards for establishing high court benches, Rijiju stated that the standards are determined by the judgement rendered by the Apex Court in W.P.(C) No. 379 of 2000 and the suggestions provided by the Jaswant Singh Commission.
In order to provide the necessary funding and infrastructure, the state government must submit a comprehensive proposal after consulting with the relevant High Court’s chief justice, who is responsible for overseeing the High Court’s daily operations.
Additionally, the governor of the relevant state must agree to the entire idea, he noted. Notably, lawyers from many regions of the state have been calling for the establishment of an HC bench in their region, including Sambalpur in western Odisha and Berhampur in south Odisha.
Prasanta Patnaik