Madras High Court judge hits out at lawyers
Says trim all associations
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-10-07 05:59 GMT
Chennai: In a hard-hitting order, the Madras high court has suggested to Bar Council of India to direct State Bar Councils to withdraw recognition accorded to various Bar/advocates’ associations in the past 20 years and to maintain just one association for one court, except older associations.
Justice N. Kirubakaran directed the BCI not to conduct the next Bar Council election in 2016. Bar Councils have been consistently failing to take action against erring advocates who are creating unfavourable condition in courts, by their indecorous, high-handed, shameful and violent behavior.
After the Advocates’ Act, 1961 was enacted, the Bar Council was constituted as a statutory body. However, the object had not been fulfilled due to the inaction of council members. Many members are not acting in the interest of legal profession or courts.
Judge lists incidents involving advocates
The Supreme Court in O.P. Sharma v. High Court of Punjab & Haryana, (2011) held that the role and status of lawyers at the beginning of sovereign and democratic India is accounted as extremely vital in deciding that the nation’s administration was to be governed by the rule of law. They were considered intellectuals amongst the elites of the country and social activists amongst the downtrodden. These include the names of a galaxy of lawyers like Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhulabhai Desai, C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, to name a few. The role of lawyers in the framing of the Constitution needs no special mention. In a profession with such a vivid history it is regretful, to say the least, to witness instances of the nature of the present kind. Lawyers are the officers of the court in the administration of justice.