The Hindu : Other States / Jharkand News : As politics beckons, lawyers put cases on the back burner

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Thursday, Jan 06, 2005

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Other States - Jharkand

As politics beckons, lawyers put cases on the back burner

By A Correspondent

RANCHI, JAN. 5. The election fever in Jharkhand has rendered the "judicial orders" in the High Court here infructuous as a group of lawyers on Government rolls in particular has been camping in Delhi aspiring to contest the upcoming elections on their respective party ticket and failed to turn up on dates slated for their respective cases by the Court.

According to sources in the Jharkhand High Court, leaving their important assignments in a lurch, the Standing Counsel dealing with the Government cases are camping in Delhi to obtain election tickets. They are often found absent on dates and the court has been left with no option except granting more time to `parties' on their requests.

Sources said that although the court appeared to be aware of the reasons behind their absence, it was supposed to take hardly any action against them in such matters. The rules of conduct of the court were silent over the activities of the lawyers other than the tasks they had been entrusted with, sources said.

Sources informed that while a group of lawyers was interested in contesting elections themselves and rushed to Delhi to obtain party tickets, their colleagues have gone to lobby in their favour. Sources contended that since the Standing Counsels for State and Union Government were supposed to be appointed mostly on the basis of their political clout, they are meant to have political leanings towards some political parties and could not afford to ignore the directives of their political mentors whenever summoned to Delhi.

Sources complained that the cases pertaining to Union Government were the worst-affected as both the Senior Standing Counsel, J.P. Gupta and Standing Counsel, Anadi Brahma, of the Central Government were strong contenders for the party ticket. They are in active politics and associated with Congress. Mr. Gupta has also been an MLA from Ranchi for a term. Both of them rushed to Delhi yesterday to stake their claims for party tickets.

According to sources, a major PIL involving the Central Government and others could not be taken up today due to the absence of the Senior Standing Counsel and Standing Counsel. The case was listed today for admission in the court of acting Chief Justice S.J. Mukhopadhyaye.

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As politics beckons, lawyers put cases on the back burner