Panel suggests combined court complex to end unruly behaviour

Only a combined court complex can put an end to unruly behaviour of lawyers in court complexes, a committee appointed by the Madras High Court has said.
The committee was appointed to inquire into the 'parallel justice delivery system (kangaroo court)' at the Egmore Magistrate Court complex Egmore Court campus.
In its report, the Committee, headed by Justice (retd) K Chandru, which recently submitted its report to the first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan, said: "To end the kind of violence and unruly behavior in the court complex is to remove the isolated functioning of the criminal courts and to have a combined court complex to inquire all types of cases."

The committee said the Bar Council should expedite its process of verification with regard to the credentials of the members of the Bar at Egmore by giving priority while adhering to the Bar Council of India Certificate and Place of Practice (Verification) Rules in view of the high percentage of lawyers having degrees from outside the state.
The committee said the city should be divided into four judicial districts i.E., North-East, Central, South-East and South-West districts.
In each judicial district, there must be a combined court complex having all types of courts including civil courts, criminal courts, family courts, labour courts and rent control courts. If all facilities were created, it will be easy for the litigant public to have access to courts which were nearby to their locality.

It said the presiding officers of magistrate courts have to be entrusted with power to control court proceedings for which appropriate rules have to be framed.

It suggested that the Bar Council can take suo-motu action on the erring lawyers on the basis of the press reports in case of hooliganism indulged in by a section of the Bar.
In its report while referring to the murder of an advocate Stalin, the committee said the case has to be monitored by the High Court and real accused punished at the earliest.
"This will send a warning signal to those who may likely to indulge with such criminal activities in the future."

The report was submitted through Advocate Narmada Sampath
to the bench which posted the matter for further hearing to December 21.
In its interim order earlier, the court had appointed the committee to suggest ways and means to control "excess" behavior of advocates in the Egmore courts.
The interim order was passed on petitions from A Nagoor Gani, Roshan Sulai KA Banu and A Alima Beevi alleging they were manhandled by some advocates in Egmore Court Complex.
They had sought a direction to set up a committee to look into the 'Katta Panchayats' conducted by a group of advocates in the Egmore court complex, on September 30, 2015.