Bar Association, lawyers’ collective cannot dictate whom to defend in courts: HC

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ARTICLE AD BOX

Neither Bar Association nor immoderate corporate of lawyers has immoderate authority, motivation oregon legal, to dictate who whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium defended successful courts, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has said.

Justice B. Pugalendhi said the close to ineligible practice was not a substance of nonrecreational favour but a law guarantee. Such actions of prevention, whether by ceremonial solution oregon informal pressure, struck astatine the precise basal of the regularisation of instrumentality and the law guarantees of just proceedings and ineligible representation. The Bar, arsenic an instauration integral to the medication of justice, indispensable uphold these values with commitment.

The independency of the Bar is simply a cornerstone of the judiciary. That independency is not demonstrated by defiance of the instrumentality but by adherence to the regularisation of law. The spot of the ineligible assemblage laic not successful numbers oregon solidarity of sentiment, but successful courage, conscience, and committedness to law values, the tribunal observed.

The tribunal was proceeding petitions successful which the issues raised were interconnected regarding allegations astir the behaviour of members of Nagercoil Bar Association and different connected barroom associations, resulting successful denial of effectual ineligible practice to definite accused persons, and besides allegations of transgression acts involving definite advocates. The Bar Association denied the allegations.

The tribunal said allegations of this quality against Nagercoil Bar Association were not new. Since 2010, not little than 30 cases had reached the tribunal alleging that resolutions were passed preventing quality for definite accused.

Any enactment by a Bar Association oregon its members preventing an accused from engaging counsel of prime was a nonstop battle connected law guarantees. The Bar Associations were typical bodies meant to uphold nonrecreational honour and independence. If they, instead, became instruments of intimidation oregon exclusion, they betrayed their ain charter and erode nationalist assurance successful the medication of justice.

The tribunal could not crook a unsighted oculus erstwhile the close to a just proceedings was being compromised nether the pretext of nonrecreational unity. It was to beryllium reminded that the Bar was not a commercialized union, but an instauration of law significance. Any effort to person it into a unit radical dictating who mightiness oregon mightiness not beryllium represented earlier a tribunal of instrumentality was thing abbreviated of contempt of the regularisation of law.

The proceedings courts should guarantee that the accused were provided effectual ineligible practice and that nary advocator was subjected to intimidation oregon unit for appearing connected their behalf. If immoderate advocator oregon Bar Association was recovered to person interfered, specified behaviour should beryllium instantly reported to the tribunal and to the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the tribunal directed.

The tribunal said immoderate advocator recovered participating successful oregon endorsing a boycott of quality for immoderate accused should beryllium dealt with sternly. The Bar Council was directed to dainty immoderate ailment regarding corporate refusal oregon intimidation by Bar Associations with utmost seriousness, and proceed expeditiously successful accordance with law, the tribunal directed.

Disposing of the petitions, the justice said the tribunal expected the Bar successful Kanniyakumari and different districts to deliberation earnestly astir its work to justness and enactment accordingly to support the respect and spot that the ineligible assemblage deserved.

Published - November 06, 2025 08:38 p.m. IST

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