Madras HC face-off: Judges ask clients to go to consumer forums if lawyers boycott courts

After the suspension of 15 lawyers for disrupting sessions at the Madras High Court, the Madurai Bench High Advocate Association has called for court boycott on Monday. But the Madras High Court has responded by stating that clients can go to consumer disputes redressal forums for actions against these lawyers.

The Madras High Court has said that no one has the right to boycott court proceedings and that the clients can seek compensation if the lawyers are not present to take their cases.

 “It is always open to the litigants to claim damages and also to move the consumer forum for appropriate compensation and for damages that had caused to them by theirs Advocates by not representing the matters in courts,” said Justice S Vaidyanathan according to The New Indian Express.

He also added that if the advocates are not present in the court, they have to return the briefs to their clients and refund the fees received from them. The court will also record the non-appearance and report it to the Bar Council of India for strict action.

Blaming the Bar Council of India, the lawyers said that they did not issue any notices before suspending them and called it “illegal”. Leaders of various bar associations will be conducting a meeting in Tiruchy on Sunday to talk about the issues related to eviction of the Madurai District Bar Association.  “Bar Council of India's list of suspended advocates contains names not involved in protests,“ said C M Arumugam, one of the suspended lawyers to The Times of India.