(1.) In these writ petitions, the petitioners have challenged the constitutional validity of the Orissa Special Courts Act, 2006 and the Rules framed thereunder urging various facts and legal grounds.
(2.) Brief facts in nutshell are stated as under:
(3.) The Orissa Special Courts Act has been passed by the Orissa Legislative Assembly and the same has been assented to by the President of India on 19.9.2007 and published in the Extra ordinary Orissa Gazette on 15.10.2007. The State Government in exercise of its power conferred under Section 24 of the Orissa Special Courts Act, 2007, has framed rules called the Orissa Special Court Rules, 2007 (hereinafter called as ?the Rules? in short). The Rules specified the form of declaration. The State Government represented by the Home Department in exercise of power conferred under Section 5 of the Act issued declaration vide Annexure-1 in each of the cases which was published in the Extra Ordinary Orissa Gazette on various dates.