Lawyers 'dawn-to-dusk shutdown' makes the normal life disturbed in four Odisha districts

Normal life was thrown out of gear in four south Odisha districts on Tuesday due to a dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by lawyers, seeking a permanent High Court bench in the region. The central coordination committee (CCC), comprising bar associations of Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, and Malkangiri, observed the 12-hour bandh in the four districts, inconveniencing local people. Shops, markets, business establishments, educational institutions, banks, and offices remained closed, while public transport system came to a grinding halt in the region as bandh supporters blocked thoroughfares and picketed several places, a police officer said.

However, emergency services such as healthcare facilities and fire stations were kept out of the purview of the bandh which remained by and large peaceful, he said. Biresh Patnaik, the president of the coordination committee, said Jeypore in Koraput district fulfills all norms required for establishment of a permanent High Court bench. All political parties including the BJD, the BJP, the Congress, the CPI, and the BSP and various other organizations have extended support to the bandh call, Patnaik claimed.

Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said the high court bench if set up in Koraput, will ease woes of people in need of immediate legal services. "Situated at a distance of over 500 km from the high court at Cuttack, Koraput district deserves an HC bench as people living here faces difficulties in reaching Cuttack for their legal needs," the Congress legislator said.