Cuttack: Buckling under the pressure of supreme court, the Odisha high court bar association Friday withdrew its cease work agitation and decided to join courts from November 4.
The bar association president,Gopalkrushna Mohanty, told a pressor “Following supreme court’s repeated judgements on disruption in court work and keeping in view larger interests of people, we have called off our strike.” ” However”, he added, “We will continue to press for our demands as we have lost faith in the supreme court collegium.”
The high court bar association members were on cease work strike from October 14 protesting against the supreme court collegium selecting members from bars outside the State for appointment as judges in the Odisha high court.
The bar association president clarified that the agitation was withdrawn on the request of the Bar Council of India.
Stating that the association will continue to raise its demands in other forums, Mohanty said, ” We will hold talks with the Bar Council Of India and other high court bar associations across the country.”
The supreme court taking suo motu cognizance of the lawyers cease work strike in Odisha issued notices to the president of Orissa high court bar association and chairman of Orissa bar council asking them to appear before the bench and explain their conduct on November 8.
The apex court while issuing notices has observed, “A decision of collegium clearing names of some candidates (who practice in this court) and not clearing names of other candidates can hardly be a ground for the lawyers to abstain from work.”
