The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Advocates stage dharna on court premises

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Advocates stage dharna on court premises

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: A large number of advocates took out a rally and staged a dharna on the Madras High Court premises on Tuesday, demanding immediate appointment of Judges to the existing vacancies in court. (As on date, the court has 24 judges, as against the sanctioned strength of 42.) At the end of a campus rally, the placard-holding advocates raised slogans decrying inordinate "bureaucratic delay" in clearing names forwarded by the collegium of judges of the Madras High Court.

"It is more than six months since the first list of candidates for being appointed Judges was sent from here. There is no appointment so far. All that we are told is the file is pending with the Government. What is the reason for the delay?" asked the Madras High Court Advocates Association president, S. Prabakaran.

"Bureaucratic delay"

Reflecting similar views, a memorandum addressed to the Chief Justice of India suggested that the Supreme Court ask the High Courts concerned to send the list directly to it, and then ask the State/Central Government and the Union Ministries of Law and Home to forward their comments within a timeframe. "The present procedure of forwarding the list through the State Government, Governor, Union Law Ministry and then the Supreme Court is causing inordinate delay. There is no accountability for the bureaucratic delay."

It further stated that without appointing more judges, the judiciary of the State would come to a standstill.

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