CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Advocates Association (TNAA) has sought for the Union and State governments to include advocates on the priority list of people who would be administered Covid-19 vaccination. TNAA said the priority list included health workers, defence, police personnel, aged persons, and those with comorbidities, but did not cover lawyers and judges.
The association, in its representation, stated, “...It was a matter of shock, surprise, and concern that the list of priority segments does not show the inclusion of members of the legal fraternity. It is a case of glaring omission, deliberate discrimination committed by the officials concerned, as the essentiality of a robust judicial machinery cannot be either undermined or underrated.”
The letter by TNAA chairman S Prabakaran said the non-inclusion in the priority list for the first phase of the Covid-19 inoculation is unfair and illegal. In its demands, the TNAA said, “The legal fraternity must be declared as essential service providers and included in the priority groups eligible for vaccination in the first phase. Bar Council authorities must be contacted to compile the list of practising lawyers; vaccination camps should be conducted in coordination with the Bar Council and the Union and the State governments.”
The TNAA also said it puts the governments on notice that if lawyers and judicial officers are not declared as priority professionals eligible for inoculation in the first phase, the association will approach the competent judicial forums and obtain necessary judicial orders and directives.