Lawyers Strike: SC seeks report from Odisha HC Registrar

Supreme Court on Thursday has asked the Registrar of the Orissa High Court to submit a report on the measures taken to ensure access to lawyers who are willing to appear before the court of Chief Justice KS Jhaveri. The notice was issued as the lawyers at Orissa High Court have been on continuous strike and has boycotted the court of Chief Justice of the high court.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Registrar of the Odisha High Court and asked them to submit the detailed report on the measures taken to ensure access to lawyers willing to appear before the court of Chief Justice KS Jhaveri.

In the wake of the ongoing boycott of the court of Odisha High Court Chief Justice by the state lawyers, the Supreme Court has ordered the detailed report.

The order was passed by the bench comprising justices SK Kaul and K M Joseph when the Petitioner company, M/s PLR Projects Ltd., filed the petition in the Apex Court seeking transfer of its case out of Odisha.

The Petitioner company aggrieved by the boycott approached the court and said that as no counsel has been allowed to argue before the Chief Justice, the company is unable to seek any interim remedy and therefore requesting the court to transfer the case.

Lawyers in Orissa have been on continuous strike against the courts of Chief Justice Jhaveri and the two seniormost judges of the High Court, the Odisha High Court had initiated suo moto contempt proceedings against 68 bar associations, including the High Court Bar Association.

Earlier, Orissa High Court has issued a notice to the High Court Bar Association, Odisha State Bar Council and Bar Council of India taking suo motu cognisance of the strike which sought the abolition of collegium system and the introduction of National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) for the appointment of HC judges.

The notice was issued by a bench of 14 judges of the Orissa High Court on Tuesday.

The bench has sought a response from them by October 21.

The Orissa High Court Bar Association had launched a two-day strike, protesting against the appointment of the judges in the High Court by the Supreme Court collegium.

The High Court Bar association had passed a resolution on Tuesday to protest the decision and take up the matter with the President of India, the Prime Minister and the Union Law Minister.