CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has lambasted a set of six advocates, who have taken possession of a property belonging to an old woman in Vyasarpadi illegally for their own use, forcefully. The woman is struggling to get possession of the property, illegally occupied by the advocates and is running from pillar to post. However, no one came forward to take action against the advocates.
“This court cannot be a mute spectator in cases of this nature. People should not get an impression that if an advocate occupies any property illegally and puts up an office, no one can question it and no action can be taken against the advocates. If this trend is allowed, any disgruntled tenant can harass a landlord by handing over possession of the property to an advocate to put up an office and no one will take any action against the advocate thereafter. These trends should be nipped in the bud. Encouraging such instances will show the advocates in a very poor light in the society. If cases of the present nature go uncontrolled and nobody takes action, a time will come when no landlord will induct any advocate as a tenant. The illegal action of a few persons claiming themselves to be advocates should not affect the interest of the entire community of the advocates,” Justice Anand Venkatesh observed.
The judge was disposing of a criminal original petition from K Hemalatha seeking to provide police protection for restoration of her property in Kasturbai Gandhi Nagar in Vyasarpadi from the illegal occupation of the advocates in question.
According to advocate R C Paul Kanakaraj, Hemalatha rented out a building to one Williams, district secretary, Chennai-West Samathuva Makkal Kazhagam, for running a community hall. As he had become a defaulter, she requested him to vacate the first-floor portion which was rented out to him.
Williams vacated the first floor, but managed to open the ground floor and converted it into an advocates’ office in the name of MKS LAW Associates. The petitioner’s efforts by way of lodging a complaint with the local police as well as with the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner went in vain. Even the police were unable to proceed because the occupiers were advocates. Hence, she filed the present petition.
Holding that extraordinary situations require extraordinary solutions, the judge directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Vyasarpadi, to provide sufficient police force to the woman and ensure that she was put back in possession of the property, illegally occupied by the advocates, within a week.