Ganjam lawyers carry on stir over HC bench demand

Berhampur: Lawyers in Silk City continued with their agitation demanding the establishment of a permanent bench of the high court, ignoring the plea from district and sessions judge A Ch Behera on Wednesday to call off the strike following the directive of the Supreme Court.
The apex court had on Monday directed the Bar Council of India to take appropriate action against the lawyers who have been agitation demanding for a permanent bench of the high court.
“The district and sessions judge had asked us to withdraw the strike,” said Sushil Kumar Tripathy, general secretary of Ganjam bar association (GBA). “But we categorically told him that the satyagraha will continue till our three-decade-old demand is fulfilled,” he added. Tripathy said they did not affect the court’s work though the members of the bar association abstained from the court as part of their strike. For the last few years the GBA members have been boycotting court work on the last four days of every month in support of their demand for a high court bench.
In Sambalpur, reports claimed heavy police presence following agitation by lawyers over the high court bench demand. Lawyers were said to have scuffled with the police.