Advocates are professionals as well as officers of the courts and they play an important role in the administration of justice. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court observed that they are considered fearless and independent in the protection of the rights of the litigants.
Justice K. Murali Shankar said that while dismissing a case against a lawyer pending before the Judicial Magistrate in Dindigul, it was the duty of the advocates to press their client’s case to the best of their ability.
The court was hearing a plea filed by advocate P. Velumani, who was made an accused in a case of offenses including trespass and criminal intimidation. The advocate was representing one of the parties in the civil suit.
The advocate said that he had gone to the disputed property along with the advocate commissioner appointed in the case. The court found that there was no material to show that the petitioner broke the lock of the disputed property and trespassed into the house.
It further said that a new trend is emerging to implicate advocates along with their clients as accused with the ulterior motive of obtaining immediate results. The judge said the practice had to be excommunicated and condemned.
The judge said that the nature of work of an advocate was not confined to the courts alone and he had to visit the property in dispute or the site of incident.
The court observed that it was the duty of an advocate to accompany the Advocate Commissioner appointed for inspection of the disputed properties and other purposes and dismissed the pending case against the advocate.