Proposed rally by advocates unwarranted, says Madras HC CJ

Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul today said the proposed rally by the High Court Advocates' Association and Women Lawyers' Association on June 6 to protest against the amendments made to existing rules under the Advocates Act was "unwarranted".
The amendments were not brought suddenly or it was not brought out in a single day, he told reporters here.
The High Court had recently issued a notification making amendments to existing rules under the Advocates Act with a view to ensure peaceful conduct of court proceedings and suggesting disciplinary action to be taken against erring advocates.
It said the court has power under 14-A of Advocates Act to debar advocates who indulge in activities such as trying to influence a judge or participates in a procession inside court campus or holds placards inside the court hall, among others.

Such advocates shall be debarred from appearing before the High Court or subordinate courts permanently or for such period as the court may think fit and the Registrar General shall thereupon report it to the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu, it said.
Stating that no representative of the association gave any suggestion or raised any objection or showed any apprehension over the framing of rules, the Chief Justice said the Judges Committee has only implemented the directions of the Supreme Court.

He said that if any apprehension was there the associations were well within their limits to approach the Apex Court.

"The High Court is still ready to consider any suggestions if provided by the representatives of the bar," he said.
The rules were framed after due deliberations, the committee placed the rules before the Full Court and finally approved it. Thereafter, the rules were notified in the Government Gazette on May 25. Now the advocates cannot claim that they are not aware of it. There is no question of ignorance, Justice Kaul said.
Stating that as Chief Justice he has the responsibility to abide to the directives of Supreme Court, he said "the amendments were the verbatim of the Supreme Court illustrations. The committee just reproduced it. I do not understand why they are taking march."

"There was a peace for the last nine months and unnecessary deviation is unwarranted and added that the High Court is even now ready to consider the suggestions if any by the Associations and place it before the Committee of Judges," he said.