Litigants affected as advocates stayed away from court proceedings in Vellore, nearby districts

Court boycott by advocates in Tamil Nadu demands Advocates Protection Bill for safety, affecting litigants from remote villages.

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Litigants, who are mostly farmers and petty traders from remote villages, were badly affected as members of the Bar Associations in Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur stayed away from the court proceedings on Thursday, demanding the passing of Advocates Protection Bill by Tamil Nadu government to ensure safety of advocates.

The two-day (November 21 to November 22) court boycott by advocates comes in the wake of a 30-year-old junior lawyer chased and brutally attacked with a sickle in broad daylight by an advocate clerk when he stepped out of the Hosur court complex in Krishnagiri district on Wednesday. “We feel sad for litigants, who are mostly poor, and travel long distances to attend court proceedings. But, safety of advocates, especially inside the court complexes, should also be addressed by the State government through an Act,” V. Surendran, President, Ranipet Bar Association, told The Hindu.

Unaware of the boycott of courts, several litigants, including women and senior citizens, visited court complexes in Vellore, Arakkonam, Cheyyar, Tiruvannamalai, Walajah, Tirupattur, Sholinghur and Vaniyambadi. Cases that came up for hearing in these courts, including family disputes, criminal and petty offences, were adjourned for later dates. “We are unaware of the boycott as we come from a remote village in Jawadhu Hills to attend a court case in Polur at the foothills. We lost a day’s income as we did not go to work today,” said N. Mayan, a litigant.

Every day, on an average, more than 500 litigants visit courts in major towns in these districts. Each court comprises at least 70 - 90 villages within its vicinity. Around 150 advocates are working as regular practitioners in each of these courts. On an average, over 300-400 cases come up at big courts every day. Currently, 1,500 - 2,000 cases are pending before each court in these districts for many years.

Among demands put forth by advocates after the violent incident at Hosur court complex, passing of Advocates Protection Bill by the State government to ensure safety of advocates and severe punishment for offenders. They also sought that adequate compensation to affected advocates in such violent acts should be given by the State government.