Congress calls for bandh, Orissa High Court limits it to hartal

Cuttack: After Congress called for a state-wide bandh, the Orissa High Court on Thursday ruled that only a hartal can be held and not a general strike.

The court also said that no political party is entitled to paralyse normal life in the entire state in the name of bandh, reported PTI.

The HC gave the ruling while hearing a PIL of a Cuttack-based businessman against the six-hour banch called by Congress on Friday from 6am demanding sacking and arrest of the Odisha minister DS Mishra for his alleged closeness with the prime accused in the Kalahandi woman teacher kidnap and murder case.

The court said that rail and road traffic cannot be blocked and normal life cannot be disrupted during the hartal.

The HC also directed the DGP to prosecute those who forcibly paralyse normal life in the state.