Orissa High Court Restricts Odisha Govt from Forming New Districts Without Court’s Permission

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court on Thursday restricted the government from forming new districts without the court’s permission.

This High Court intervention will be a stumbling block for Odisha government’s proposal for the formation of the new Padampur district.

Hearing a petition filed by Akshaya Kumar Mohanty, President of Rairangpur District Kriyanusthan Committee, an Orissa High Court bench comprising Justice BR Sarangi and Justice Murahari Sri Raman said, “This Court feels it necessary that the process of re-organization of the district, which the State Government wants to undertake, may continue but no final order shall be passed without leave of this Court.”

“On the basis of the pleadings available on record, it appears that the State is going to make further districts without having any guidelines or principles and at the caprice and whims of the Government, new districts have been created. As such, with regard to power of formation of new district, save and except the report of the Justice Raj Kishore Das Committee in the year 1975 and the Cabinet Sub-Committee of 1991, nothing is made available or placed on record as to how to re-organize the districts in the recent days. Therefore, as the learned Advocate General prayed for and is granted time to obtain instructions in the matter, this Court feels it necessary that the process of re-organization of district, which the State Government wants to undertake may continue, but no final order shall be passed without leave of this Court,” the High Court said.

The petitioner, Mohanty, also the President of Rairangpur Bar Association, had filed a PIL seeking HC’s direction to the government to constitute a high-level committee under the chairmanship of an incumbent/ retired judge of the High Court in order to examine the demands.

Mohanty also pleaded for direction to the government to declare Rairangpur as a new district taking Bamanghati (commonly known as Rairangpur) and Panchapid (commonly known as Karanjia) sub-divisions under its fold.