Lawyers' month long cease-work leaves Cuttack jails overcrowded with prisoners

CUTTACK

: The ongoing cease-work of lawyers in the city in protest of the alleged attack on one of their colleagues by police has left the courts paralysed and jails overcrowded with prisoners.

The lawyers of Orissa high court and lower courts are on indefinite strike since August 29 to protest against the inaction of police against the police personnel who allegedly assaulted a lawyer at Cuttack on August 28. Due to the cease-work, the high court and lower courts in Cuttack are not functioning and the undertrial prisoners are not able to move their bail applications.

As a result of which the

Choudwar

circle jail is now overcrowded with prisoners. The Choudwar circle jail here has a capacity to accommodate 800 prisoners but on Monday at least 1,149 prisoners were present in the jail. “On an average at least 5 prisoners were released on bail from the jail on any single day. But since last one month, not a single prisoner has walked out of the jail due to the lawyer’s cease-work,” said superintendent of Choudwar circle jail, R N Swain.

Similar is the condition in the jails of Kendrapada district. “At least 420 prisoners are locked in the jail now, prior to the lawyers’ strike, the strength was 238,” said an official of the Kendrapada sub- jail.

Many relatives of the inmates are worried due to lawyers’ strike. “My son was arrested in a petty theft case on September 1. I have been running from pillar to post to release him on bail,” said Mohammad Akil of Kendrapada.

Meanwhile, the high court bar association has decided to intensify its agitation as police are yet to arrest the police personnel who allegedly attacked the lawyer in Cuttack on August 28. The lawyers of high court bar association have decided to

gherao

the chief minister’s house on September 27 to make their demands more loud and clear.

The petition filed by the bar association in Orissa high court seeking judicial inquiry into the incident was also heard and adjourned till September 26 as the advocate general sought time to file reply in the matter. “The cease-work will continue till September 26 and the police is yet to take any stringent action against the erring police personnel involved in the case,” secretary of the bar association, Satyabrata Mohanty.

Notably on August 28, a lawyer Debi Pattnaik was allegedly beaten up in public view in Nuabazar by few police personnel. The next day, a police vehicle parked near Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) office was also torched during a protest by lawyers association against the incident. The high court bar association and courts across the state have been on cease-work since the incident.