KBK lawyers demand HC Bench at Jeypore

The Pioneer,Dec 3,2007

Basant Rath Nabarangpur
The Bar associations of the undivided Koraput district have demanded establishment of a bench of the Orissa High Court either at Jeypore or at Nabarangpur. At a meeting, the presidents of the associations alleged that despite availability of infrastructure for functioning of a High Court bench at Jeypore, the State Government is apathetic towards the demand of the people of the undivided Koraput district, who run to Cuttack, which is 700 km away from the most remote area in this region, in connection with their cases in the High Court.
Though Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik recently proposed establishment of High Court benches at Berhampur and Sambalpur, it has not been accepted by the High Court. The lawyers of the undivided Koraput district strongly condemned the 'step-motherly attitude' of the Government for not considering the need of a High Court bench in their region.
Justifying their demand for a High Court bench at Jeypore, they pointed out that Jeypore is situated within 200 km of the headquarters towns of six districts - Bhawanipatna, Nuapada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Parlakhemundi, besides that of Koraput.
Former Nabarangpur District Bar Association president Ashok Mishra said the Government, while considering establishment of High Court benches at Berhampur and Sambalpur, should also consider the genuine demand of this region, as geographically Jeypore is situated in the heart of the KBK districts.
President of the Koraput District Bar Association Sudhir Sarangi said that if the Government did not consider their 'legitimate' demand, the lawyers would be forced to paralyse the court works in the KBK region.
Former vice-president of the Nabarangpur Bar Association Narasingha Tripathy claimed that about 80 per cent of the people in the KBK region are living below poverty line. The illiterate and economically backward people of the undivided Koraput and Kalahandi districts are the worst sufferers in the matter of getting justice as they cannot afford the expenses for going to far-off Cuttack to pursue their cases in the High Court, he added.
Among others, advocates Basant Rath, Balaji Mishra and Dibakar Hial were also of the view that the Government should consider the demands of the lawyers of the region which has a population of about 50 lakh.