The Odisha government is yet to communicate to the centre the detailed compliances required for the establishment of Orissa High Court benches in western and southern regions of the state.

If the Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju’s reply to a query by Congress member Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, is any indication, the State government has done precious little in facilitating compliance to the centre in this regard.

“The State Government of Odisha has requested for the setting up of Orissa High Court Bench in Western and Southern region of Odisha. The Central Government has requested the State Government of Odisha to work out details of the proposed Bench including its location in consultation with the High Court of Orissa. However, no response has been received yet.

At present, no complete proposal regarding setting up of Benches of Orissa High Court is pending with the Government”, the Union Minister Rijiju told the Lok Sabha.

High Court Benches are established in accordance with the recommendations made by the Jaswant Singh Commission and judgment pronounced by the Apex Court in W.P.(C) No.379 of 2000 and after due consideration of a complete proposal from the State Government which has to provide necessary expenditure and infrastructural facilities and the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court who is required to look after the day-to-day administration of the High Court.

The proposal to be complete should also have the consent of the Governor of the concerned State, the Union Minister informed.

It is pertinent to note here that lawyers from southern and western parts of the State have been demanding the establishment of permanent benches of Orissa High court for more than two years to mitigate the inconvenience faced by the litigants and clear off the backlog of pending cases.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier urged the centre for expeditious setting up of High Court separate benches. However the government, for some strange reason, is yet to work out the details and furnish the same to the centre despite persistent demand by lawyers and people from western and southern districts.