The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Intelligence Bureau probing delay

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 04, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Intelligence Bureau probing delay

By S. Vijay Kumar

MADURAI, JULY 3. The Intelligence Bureau is enquiring into the reasons, which led to a delay in the inauguration of the Madras High Court Bench here. A team of IB officials today held enquiries with senior members of the Madurai Bar Association (MBA) and sought their views.

Highly placed sources told The Hindu that the agency was trying to ascertain the exact reasons for the inordinate delay in the Bench's inauguration though the multi-crore structure was ready for occupation for over a year now.

Though the President's notification regarding establishment of the Madurai Bench is still awaited, the enquiry is more on other factors that delayed the process of seeking the Centre's nod. The enquiry is on, notwithstanding the official announcement that the Bench would be inaugurated on July 24. The probe, according to the sources, had been initiated by the Centre to find out whether there was any political angle to the ongoing agitation by advocates in the State for and against its opening.

"They have taken note of the series of agitations organised by advocates' associations during the last two years demanding the early inauguration of the Bench in Madurai," an MBA office-bearer said. The last-minute outburst of some Chennai-based lawyers against the territorial jurisdiction raised eyebrows. The association, which had declared an indefinite strike from July 1 till the issue of Centre's notification, called for a meeting of all bar associations in the southern districts here on Monday. The advocates are keen that the Jaswant Singh Committee recommendations on the Bench should be strictly adhered to.

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