MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has expressed displeasure over the fact that government law officers or public prosecutors are being appointed not based on merit but due to their proximity and allegiance to the party in power.
“As a consequence, litigants suffer and the administration of justice itself stands compromised,” it said.
Justice B Pugalendhi made the observations recently while dismissing a petition by a man, who was sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment last year for attempting to sexually assault a SC woman in Theni in 2019, seeking suspension of the sentence.
The judge noted that a similar petition by him was dismissed last year, along with a direction to the Director of Prosecution to take action against the special public prosecutor who had conducted the trial in a “negligent” manner.
Based on the same, the director had sent a proposal to remove the special PP from service in July last year. But the government is yet to take a decision on it, the judge pointed out.
The judge suo motu impleaded the state home secretary and the Theni collector and directed them to take a decision on the proposal within a month. He also observed that though the state has a duty to defend victims by appointing efficient pleaders, a significant number of appointees lack the competence to effectively conduct cases.