Agitating lawyers defy Supreme Court order, decide to continue ‘cease work’

Cuttack: The agitating lawyers of Odisha will continue their ‘cease work’ till Wednesday despite the Supreme Court directive of yesterday which asked them to resume work.

Informing on the decision Cuttack High Court Bar Association Secretary, Satyabrat Mohanty said the lawyers would decide upon their next course of action at a meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, intensifying their month-old strike the agitating lawyers locked up the main gate of the Orissa High Court today morning and barred the judges from entering into its premises. They also burnt down the effigy of CJI Dipak Misra for his Thursday directive to the Odisha lawyers to resume work.

Dubbing the SC directive to end the strike is violation of the principle of natural justice the agitating Bar Association members claimed. The also insisted that as they have got the licenses from the bar counsil they cannot be prevented from holding the ‘cease work’.

Notably, yesterday the CJI had passed an order by that asking the agitating lawyers to end their strike in the greater interest of the litigants and told them to join work immediately.

Lawyers resorted to ‘cease work’ starting from August 30 following an attack on a lawyer by cops at Nua Bazaar bridge on August 28 morning in Cuttack. So far two cops have been suspended and an equal number arrested in the case.

Also Read: Lawyers-Police Face-Off: Supreme Court directs Lawyers to join duty