Law-breaking advocates face action
CHENNAI: **Police have started a crackdown** on lawyers involved in criminal cases. According to an intelligence report recently tabled before a senior police officer, as many as 275 cases registered against lawyers are pending before the Chennai police since 2001. In the rest of the state, more than 700 such cases are pending since 2001.
A high-level committee headed by senior bureaucrats discussed the situation after Egmore Bar Association president Michael was injured in an attack inside the MKB Nagar police station on June 8, sparking protests across Tamil Nadu.
Lawyers said the attack came a few days after a group of advocates tried to meet DGP K Ramanujam to submit a petition on an attack on a lawyer in Kanyakumari in May and were prevented from doing so.
The AIADMK on Wednesday expelled four lawyers, including former Bar Council of Tamil Nadu chairman D Selvam and Madras High Court Advocates Association president R C Paul Kanagaraj, from the primary membership of the party. They were said to be part of the group that tried to meet the DGP.
The present crackdown, sources say, comes after senior bureaucrats, during a recent review meeting at the secretariat, asked senior police officers why no action had been taken against lawyers involved in criminal cases.
On Thursday morning, a group of lawyers went to the Kumbakonam municipal office to get a death certificate and attacked the staff there. Later, they damaged the glass panes and pelted stones. At least 13 municipal employees and six lawyers were injured. Three separate cases were registered.
"Of the total cases pending against lawyers in the state and the city, we are looking for advocates with criminal records to take appropriate legal action against them" a senior police officer said.
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