The rain has stopped but it continues to drizzle.

After a long period of strike the advocates of Tamil Nadu started attending courts a fortnight back.The joy of the litigants seems to be short-lived. The lawyers of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have decided to abstain from courts on Thursday, April 9 to protest against the non-implementation of the order of the Madras High Court in connection with teh February 19 incidents in the court premises.

THe Madras High Court had ordered the suspension of two police officials. Both the police officials have moved the Supreme Court against this order of the High Court. It is only appropriate that the GOvernment of Tamil Nadu waits for the verdict of the Supreme Court in this matter.

The advocates of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry insist that the two officials should have been suspended the day the High Court gave the order. Condemning what they call the complacency of the State Government, they have decided to abstain from the courts for a day. They are also demanding that the Tamil Nadu government honours the order the court. THe advocates have also decided to move a contempt petition.

IT is true that the High Court has ordered the suspension of the two police officials. However, since their appeal is pending in the Supreme Court I feel the advocates should try to settle the matter through the court of law and not by abstaining from courts. In this connetion the advise of the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court to the advocates not to resort to strikes or abstentions is worth following. The advocates will do well to keep the interest of lakhs of litigants in mind when they decide to take such extreme steps.

HR