‘State yet to give HC bench proposal to Centre’

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the establishment of permanent Orissa High Court (HC) benches in western and southern Odisha remains a major demand of the people of the regions, the State government is yet to submit a complete proposal to the Centre.Union Minister for Law Kiren Rijiju told the Lok Sabha on Friday that at present, no complete proposal regarding setting up of benches of Orissa HC is pending with the Central government.

Replying to an unstarred question from Basant Panda (BJP), Saptagiri Ulaka (Congress) and Sougata Ray (TMC), the Minister said that HC benches are established in accordance with the recommendations made by the Jaswant Singh Commission and judgement pronounced by the Supreme Court. The process is initiated after due consideration of a complete proposal from the state government which has to provide information on expenditure and infrastructural facilities required and the Chief Justice of the HC concerned who is required to look after the day to day administration. The proposal to be complete should also have the consent of the Governor of the state concerned.

On Odisha government’s request for setting up of the Orissa HC benches in western and southern regions, the Centre had asked it to work out details of the proposed benches including its location in consultation with Orissa HC. However, no response has been received yet, he said. 

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had demanded the establishment of permanent benches of the High Court in the areas in September, 2018. He again wrote to then Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in January, 2019 requesting him to take steps for establishment of separate benches in view of the unrelenting agitation by the people.

In February this year, Prasad had said that the Centre will initiate the process after receiving a complete proposal on the location and jurisdiction of the proposed High Court benches, the land required for the construction of the building and the residential area for the judges with the consent of the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court and the Governor.