HC restrains govt from creating new districts for 3 more weeks

Cuttack: The Orissa high court on Monday extended for another three weeks the order in which it had restrained state government from passing any final order on creation of new districts without taking the court’s permission. The HC extended the restriction imposed by it on a PIL after additional government advocate DK Mohanty sought time to file a counter affidavit in compliance with the interim order issued on December 21, 2023 and provide information with regard to re-organisation of district.The two-judge bench of acting Chief Justice BR Sarangi and Justice MS Raman said, “Put up this matter after three weeks. Interim order passed earlier shall continue till the next date.”On December 21, 2023, the HC had in the interim order said: “This court feels it necessary that the process of reorganisation of district, which state government wants to undertake may continue, but no final order shall be passed without leave of this court.”President of Rairangpur Bar Association, advocate Akshaya Kumar Mohanty, filed the PIL seeking the court’s direction to state government to constitute a high-level committee under the chairmanship of a retired judge of the court in order to examine the demands for creation of new districts in Odisha.The HC restriction assumes significance as chief minister Naveen Patnaik had announced his decision to accord district status to Padampur by bifurcating Bargarh district and the process for identification of the site to set up the collector’s office had been started.