Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
Several High Courts in India have their benches in places beyond their permanent citadels, because thereby justice sans hurdles of distance and burden of travel expenses is available to them. A bench in Western Orissa is an outstanding necessity on the same premises.
A government that claims to be a government of the people, by the people, for the people should have taken all necessary steps to give the people of Western Orissa the High Court of Orissa by extension, because it is the government upon which bestowed is the responsibility to ensure justice for the people. The government run by Naveen Patnaik has blatantly failed in this regard.
The plea of refusal of a bench at Sambalpur by a very old verdict of Orissa High Court is an anti-people plea. Denial of affordable justice to people of Western Orissa, where most of the economically disadvantaged population of Orissa reside, under any plea, is not acceptable.
Plea of deference amongst people of different districts of Western Orissa in the matter of seat of the Bench when created is a mischievous plea. The people there have expressed their oneness in demand for HC Bench by boycotting the Local Urban Body elections going on in Orissa. This should be a lesson to the Government and the Jurists.
It is better for the concerned authorities to understand that HC Bench in Western Orissa is unavoidable. They should concede it sans any delay.
They will have to concede one day. Why unnecessarily are they fomenting unrest?
Be it very clear that the demand of the people of Western Orissa for a HC Bench that they need for affordable justice, is entirely just and proper a demand. And this demand is also a demand of entire Orissa, because the issue is available of affordable justice to the people as a whole.
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