COIMBATORE: The Home Department has appointed 20 law officers (advocates), including special public prosecutors, additional government pleaders and others, to various courts across Coimbatore district on a temporary basis to represent the government in various cases.
According to the order available with the TNIE, among the 20 law officers appointed, the few are M K Elangovan, who has been appointed as additional government pleader (land acquisition) at the Sub Court, Coimbatore; N Archana, appointed as special public prosecutor for the Mahila Court; R Palanisamy, appointed as special public prosecutor for the Special Court (TNPID) (Civil), Coimbatore; and V Balamurugan, appointed as special public prosecutor for the Special Court for Bomb Blast Cases, Coimbatore.
The appointments have been made for a period of six months on a temporary basis or until law officers are appointed to the respective courts on a tenure basis.
The temporary appointments are expected to ensure uninterrupted representation of the government before the courts and avoid any administrative inconvenience.
However, sources said the Home Department could have issued the order on or before June 30, when the previous term of the law officers ended. Instead, the government order was issued only on July 7.
As a result, Fifth Additional District Judge P K Sivakumar directed Coimbatore Collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar to deposit more than Rs 62,000 towards the expenses incurred for the appearance of witnesses and accused in eight cases, including a murder case, after additional public prosecutors failed to appear before the court on Monday.
However, AIADMK Advocates’ Wing Secretary (Coimbatore Rural North) S Gopalakrishnan said that five key posts, including that of the public prosecutor, who handles bail petitions, and the government pleader at the district court, are yet to be filled.
