The Madras High Court today directed the Secretary, Union Ministry of Law and Justice and Deputy Legal Advisor and competent authority, Department of Legal affairs to consider requests of Bar Councils of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu to shift place for interviews for the posts for notary public from Delhi to Chennai.
Justice V Ramasubramanian said "it is always easy for the government machinery to depute officers to go to Chennai to conduct the interviews for about a week rather than asking nearly 1000 candidates to travel up to Delhi."
According to the members of these Bar Councils, who had applied for the post, were invited for interview in April.
However, the interviews were cancelled in view of the notification for general elections, following which the candidates had to return.
Now the authorities have proposed to conduct the interviews in Delhi from September 16. A total of 954 candidates have been shortlisted for the interview.
Finding it difficult to undertake another trip, they made representations to various Bar Associations.
Additional Legal Adviser in the Department of Legal Affairs filed a counter affidavit contending that the Bar Council has no locus standi to question the decision of the authorities.
"None of the candidates invited for interview has questioned the place of interview", the official stated and pleaded for dismissal of the petition.
The Judge rejected the argument that the Bar Councils have no locus standi in the matter. "One of the duties of the Bar Council is to look after the welfare of advocates who are on its rolls. Therefore, I do not think that the locus standi of the petitioner could be questioned".
"It is not a question of the right of the individuals who applied for appointment as notary. It is also a question of hardship of the candidates. To make all of them undertake a trip for a second time is not fair enough", the Judge said.
