Enrollment of 900 candidates put off
Madras High Court. (Photo: DC/File)
Chennai: The Madras high court has made history initiating a unique process for weeding out ill-qualified and undesirable persons from the noble legal profession. Justice N. Kirubakaran on Friday ordered suspension of enrolment of law graduates as advocates until they produced the ‘verification certificates’ properly prepared by the police after checking their antecedents.
Following this, the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry put away the enrollment of about 900 candidates on Saturday, some of who even resorted to a brief agitation inside the court premises.
Quoting from the Supreme Courts verdicts that had stressed on the nobility of the legal profession, Justice Kirubakaran said when such is the glory of the legal profession, “elements like goondas, criminals, law-violators cannot get an avatar of advocate” and try to shield their illegal acts by polluting the profession, which would go against the public interest.
He was passing an interim order on a petition from advocate S.M.Ananda Murugan, who alleged that those with “criminal background with heinous crimes purchased law degrees from neighbouring states like Andhra and Karnataka without even attending classes and basic qualifications, and are making attempt to enroll themselves before the Bar Council in the enrollment to be held on August 2”.
Petitioner Murugan claimed that 40 per cent of the 900-odd persons appearing for enrollment had criminal background but still, they managed to obtain police verification certificates.
He even two persons and said while one had 14 criminal cases against him, the other had seven, to their credit.
( Source : dc )
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