The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Lawyers call off boycott, insist on transfer of Chief Justice

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 31, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Lawyers call off boycott, insist on transfer of Chief Justice

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, JULY 30. On a day of hectic activity, Madras High Court advocates today decided to call off court boycott; end their two-day-old fast and to reiterate their demand for the transfer of the Chief Justice, B. Subhashan Reddy.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA), which is spearheading agitations demanding a rethink on the territorial jurisdiction of the Permanent Bench at Madurai, transfer of pending cases and retention of the writ jurisdiction with the principal seat here.

Following an ice-breaking initiative by Justice P.D. Dinakaran, who had been authorised by the Chief Justice to hold talks with the fasting lawyers last night, the representatives of lawyers met a six-judge in-house committee this morning. The judges gave an assurance that writ petitions pending as on July 23 would be heard in Chennai. The number of such cases was about 16,000.

As per the broad understanding reached today, if the cause of action arises within the exclusive jurisdiction of Chennai and Madurai, filing can be done only in the respective registries. The committee also said the report of the nine-judge panel on territorial jurisdiction would be submitted soon.

Another concession pertained to pending civil and criminal matters transferred to the Permanent Bench. Accordingly, the Registrar (judicial) there has been asked to grant advocates two weeks for making alternative arrangements. The Chief Justice will also consider another demand that the writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Madurai Bench be posted before some other Bench.

Later, an extraordinary general body meeting of the MHAA debated the offers and conditions but declined to accept the in-house committee's call for withdrawing their resolution seeking the transfer of the Chief Justice.

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