HC wants CISF security cover; protesting lawyers held

In suo motu proceedings, the Madras High Court today asked authorities to take immediate steps to hand over its security cover to CISF or any similar force as 12 advocates, including two women, were arrested for staging a protest before the Chief Justice's bench demanding that Tamil be made official language in the court.
High drama was witnessed as the group, under the banner of Tamils Struggle Movement of Madurai, staged a day-long sit-in before the Chief Justice's Bench. It included, a woman advocate carrying a three-year-old boy.
They held placards and demanded that Tamil be declared as official language in the court.

The Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam, took suo motu proceedings in view of the prevailing siutation in the court, and issued notice to the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.
The bench asked the concerned authorities to immediately take steps for handing over the security cover for the High Court to CISF or any other similar force.
"This is necessary for smooth functioning of the High Court as continuance of such incidents, as we are witnessing today, are not only destructive and disrespectful towards the Court but affects the very ability of the Court to dispense justice, which sets a bad example for the other litigants who attend in persons and dilutes the authority of the Court."

It directed the state government to forthwith take action and initiate declaration of the High Court as a high security zone.

"This is not the first time the functioning of the High Court or the First Bench is sought to be distracted for one reason or the other whether connected with this Court or otherwise," the Bench said.
Narrating several instances of lawyers agitations, the Bench said "there is also an unhealthy so-called practice of lawyers raising slogans and marching in the corridors. The lawyers had even entered the Court and indulged in sloganeering."
"This problem is far more aggravated in the Madurai Bench of this Court, where there have been such periodic incidents of advocates taking out processions, entering Court and disrupting proceedings, using handheld microphones and even occupying the Chamber of the Puisne Judges at the Madurai Bench."

Stating that time has come to curtail such unhealthy practice, the bench said "there cannot be unauthorized ingress and egress to the Court.