MADURAI: To alleviate the difficulties faced by young women advocates who struggle to attend to the needs of their children during court hours, Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court notified that such young mothers can obtain specific time slots from his Court Officer to argue their cases.
"But this concession is available only to the independent practitioners. Those who are part of an office cannot seek a time slot for the benefit of their 'male seniors'," the judge added in his letter to the members of the bar on Monday. The said direction would come to effect from Tuesday onwards, the judge said.
Justice Swaminathan also shared an incident which urged him to take this decision. A few days ago, when the judge had passed over a case to take it up at 4 pm, the male advocate who was supposed to argue the case hesitantly requested the judge to adjourn it to the next day as he had to pick up his child from school at 3.30 pm. "This incident made me think. There are quite a few young mothers practising before me. They may be facing similar difficulties. I think it is my duty to accommodate them," the judge mentioned in the letter. He however warned that advocates who avail themselves of this benefit should come well prepared so that they only consume a minimum amount of time. They should also submit necessary case documents to the Court Officer on the previous day.
Advocate KR Shiva Shankari (36), who is the general secretary of the Women Advocates Association (WAA) of the High Court Bench, told TNIE that the decision was a welcome one. A mother of two kids herself, she said, "Many young mothers, especially those living in nuclear families, face these difficulties. Unfortunately, some of them even end up sacrificing their career. This decision by the judge will definitely encourage young women advocates to make strides in their career."