Bhubaneswar: BJD MP Sasmit Patra has formally written to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, requesting the establishment of permanent and/or circuit benches of the Orissa High Court in the Western and Southern regions of the state to ensure better access to justice for people in these underserved areas.
In his letter, Patra highlighted that the demand for a bench in Western Odisha has been pending for several decades and enjoys widespread support across the Bar, public representatives, and citizens irrespective of political lines. He noted that the tribal-dominated and geographically remote districts of Southern Odisha face even greater challenges in approaching the High Court at Cuttack.
Patra emphasised that while the Supreme Court had earlier addressed the issue in proceedings related to the Western Odisha bench movement, stressing institutional discipline and uninterrupted judicial functioning, its observations do not impose a constitutional bar on setting up regional benches through the proper consultative process involving the judiciary, State Government, and Union Government.
The MP pointed out that several High Courts across India have successfully established regional benches to address issues of distance, regional imbalance, and access to justice. He also highlighted examples of high court benches in some other states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal etc in his letter:
Patra requested the Union Law Minister to initiate the appropriate consultative process for a permanent and/or circuit Bench of the Orissa High Court for Western Odisha.
He concluded that the issue is fundamentally about ensuring practical, affordable, and equitable access to constitutional justice for all citizens of Odisha, regardless of their geographic location.
