Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: The Bar Council of India has sought intervention of the Supreme Court to resolve the issue raised by the lawyers in Cuttack.
The Chairman of the Bar Council Manan Mishra has written a letter to the Chief Justice of India and the other companion judges in this regard alleging lack of concern of the State government towards the matter.
In the letter, Mishra has alleged that the Odisha government is adamant and not taking any action against the erring police officials who assaulted the members of the Bar without any reason.
The Bar Council Chairman has requested to constitute a high-level committee “to be headed by a sitting or former Honourable Judge of the High Court, the Chairman of the State Bar Council, Member-Representative of Bar Council of India from the State Bar Council of Odisha, President of High Court Bar Association, Cuttack, two Senior Advocates and the Home Secretary of the State of Odisha.”
Earlier on Friday, lawyers of the Orissa High Court locked up main gate of the court despite the apex court’s order to withdraw strike.
On August 28, lawyer Debi Prasanna Pattnaik was allegedly beaten up by police personnel in public view at Shastri Nagar in Nuabazar area. Following the incident, a police vehicle parked near Revenue Divisional Commissioner’s (RDC) office was torched.
Even though the Crime Branch of Odisha Police had arrested two persons including a Home Guard in connection to the incident, the lawyers are demanding arrest of other four accused involved in the attack.
Since then, judicial work in all the courts in Cuttack including High Court has been paralysed due to the cease-work strike being observed by the lawyers.
Prasanta Patnaik