Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Lawyers seek more facilities at Bench

Mohamed Imranullah S.

Call for amenities to match the modern buildings

MADURAI: Most of the major demands, such as appointment of more Judges and opening of lawyers' chambers, raised by the bar associations in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court have been fulfilled.

Still, the lawyers fret about non-availability of facilities such as three-phase electricity connection to run air-conditioners in libraries located in different associations and the delay in providing a hassle-free pathway between the main court building and lawyers' chambers.

Isaac Mohanlal, president of Madurai Bench of Madras High Court Bar Association (MMBA) points out that his association was the first to establish a library of its own. And in a bid to be one of the most sophisticated libraries, they fitted the reading room with nearly seven split air-conditioners.

"Though the library was inaugurated as early as July 24, 2005, we are unable to operate the air-conditioners till date for want of three-phase electricity connection. No doubt, this court building is one of the best in the country, but the Public Works Department shouldn't have shown slackness in equipping the building with basic facilities." He claimed that the authorities had not taken any effective action despite making an umpteen number of requests in the last seven months.

Similarly, the Madurai Bench High Court Advocates Association (MBHAA) and the Madras High Court Madurai Bench Advocates Association (MAHAA) are fazed by the same problem. However, their libraries are under construction and yet to begin functioning.

Long walk

The advocates also complain about the hassle of walking a long distance from their chambers to reach the main building housing the court halls. In summer, it is too hot to frequently go back and forth between the chambers and the court halls, while the case bundles get drenched during rainy days, they argue.

Referring to the arrangement made in the principal seat of the High Court in Chennai, where the annexe building could be accessed from the main building through a skyway, the lawyers suggest that a similar structure could be built at the Bench as well.

Some of the employees in the Bench too aired their grievance that they were yet to be provided with Identity Cards. "Last week, I was coming from the Railway Station at late night when a policeman stopped me and asked to prove my identity. Since I did not have an identity card, it took me nearly an hour to convince him that I am a High Court staff," claims an employee, who prefers anonymity.

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