CUTTACK: Defying the direction of the Supreme Court to withdraw cease-work agitation and resume work, the lawyers of Orissa high court and lower courts on Friday also continued their strike.The agitating lawyers termed the direction of the Supreme Court as "one sided" and intensified their protest. The agitating lawyers expressed their anguish against the apex court’s direction by locking up the main gate of the Orissa high court and burning effigy of Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra . As the lawyers locked up the main gate of high court, many judges were not able to enter the court premises.The agitating lawyers alleged that Supreme Court directed them to end their month long cease-work agitation without hearing to their side of the story. "The SC directive to end the strike is violation of the principle of natural justice as we were not given a chance to say about our grievance," said an agitating lawyer.Orissa High Court Bar Association’s secretary, Satyabrata Mohanty said the cease-work agitation will continue till Wednesday and their next course of action will be decided in the meeting, scheduled to be held on Wednesday. "The Supreme Court’s verdict was unfair as we were not made a party in the case and our version was not heard," said Mohanty.Notably, the Supreme Court while hearing to a bail petition filed by one journalist Abhijit Iyer Mitra, against whom the Odisha police have lodged a case for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Konark temple , got to know that Mitra had to move apex court for bail as the Orissa high court is not functioning due to lawyers’ strike since August 28. Taking note of it, the apex court directed the agitating lawyers of Orissa high court to end their strike immediately so that no impediment is caused in the right of access to justice to any litigants.Lawyers of Orissa high court and lower courts in Cuttack have resorted to cease work since August 29 following an attack on one of their colleagues allegedly by police personnel at Nuabazaar on August 28. So far, the police have arrested only two of the five accused police personnel involved in the attack while the agitating lawyers have been demanding arrest of the all the accused.

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