CHENNAI: The members of the Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHCAA), led by its president RC Paul Kanakaraj, have decided to convene their general body meeting at 1.30 pm on Wednesday to oppose tooth and nail the amendments made by the High Court to sec. 14-A of the Advocates Act, 1960.
A week after the Madras High Court amended the Act to introduce stringent disciplinary action, perhaps for the first time, against errant lawyers, the executive committee members of MHCAA assembled on Tuesday and decided to have a general body meeting to discuss what step to take next.
Kanakaraj asserted that the High Court had usurped the role of the Bar Council of India and the Bar Council in Tamil Nadu. The amendments would adversely affect the fundamental rights of lawyers and affect their practice.
The amendments would tempt the litigants to make false allegations against lawyers in case of dismissal of cases. The allegations against judges might not have sufficient supporting proof and debarring an advocate on this count was a serious issue.
If there was any grievance against the judiciary, the Bar could only protest inside the campus to bring it to the notice of the higher judiciary.
Members of the legal fraternity could not be like politicians, who protested in public places or in front of public offices, as they were not the competent authorities to decide on the advocates’ grievances.
The aim of the Supreme Court judgment in 2009 to amend and frame rules to the Advocates Act was only to regulate the advocates and their profession and not to introduce draconian penal provisions, Kanakaraj added.
Lawyers mobilise
A week after the Madras HC amended the Act to introduce stringent disciplinary action, perhaps for the first time, against errant lawyers, the executive committee of MHCAA have decided to have a general body meeting to discuss what step to take next.