MADURAI: The members of the Madurai Bench High Court Advocates Association (MBHAA) and the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court Bar Association (MMBA) on Friday staged a protest and boycotted court works demanding transparency in the appointment of judges to the high court.
Speaking to TNIE, advocate S Vanchinathan said there should be social justice in the appointment of judges. "In a democratic country, all three wings of the nation — legislative, executive and judiciary — should have equal representation from all communities. However, at present, there is over-representation of upper caste people in the judiciary, while many underprivileged communities like denotified tribes and Arunthathiyars remain unrepresented," he added.
Sometimes, representation from minorities and underprivileged communities are namesake and not effective, he further alleged, adding that this violates the very objective of the Indian Constitution and affects judicial independence. He further urged the collegium to temporarily stop appointing members from over-represented communities in future appointments till other communities get sufficient representation.
Advocate L Shaji Chellan said as of now, two bar associations — MMBA and MBHAA — have passed resolutions highlighting the above demands. All bar associations in the Madurai Bench would meet on Monday to decide about the further course of action, he added. It may be noted that while MMBA has around 800 members, there are 1,650 advocates affiliated to MBHAA.
District court advocates oppose Advocate Amendment Bill
Meanwhile, advocates from subordinate judiciary went on a one-day hunger strike on Friday to register their objection against the amendments proposed to the Advocates Act, 1961. "Though the draft bill has been put on hold, we want the centre to completely withdraw the bill and refrain from amending the Act," state general secretary of All India Lawyers Union (AILU) N Muthu Amuthanathan told TNIE.
The advocates also criticised the recent increase in the Advocate Welfare Fund stamp fee from Rs 30 to Rs 120 and instead wanted the government to enhance the welfare fund from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. They also demanded the enactment of Advocate Protection Law, Amuthanathan added.