Law officers sweat it out in cramped space

Several law officers serving the city civil court located inside the Madras High Court campus are in a state of discomfort, thanks to the dingy, cramped offices allotted to them by the administrators. These offices cannot accommodate more than two persons at a time, a visit by DT Next revealed.

Left with poor ventilation, practising social distance or engaging a government official is a luxury for these learned counsels, who defend the government on civil matters. According to a senior law officer who appears for the government in the city civil courts, the office allotted to him is in a dilapidated state, sans ventilation.

“As we are representing for the government, various officers including IAS and IPS visit our offices. But we cannot accommodate them inside our office because of the space crunch. We often have to meet them outside to discuss the cases and legal proceedings,” the officer told DT Next.

Another young officer questioned the stability of the building and pointed out that the cracks in the ceiling were often posing a threat to inmates.

“If a government building collapses or is found endangering public lives, we defend the State before the court and also take up the solutions given by the court. But the irony is that there is no respite for us. We could not reveal or disclose this apathy in public,” rued another officer.

“There is a space available near the police booth on the HC premise. We request the HC to initiate works to construct a dedicated chamber for all the government law officers who are working inside the courts on the Madras HC campus,” a law officer said on condition of anonymity.

When asked about the funds for new buildings or renovating the existing structure, an official source said the government has to allot more funds. “The Madras HC shall subsequently sanction funds for constructing new buildings for existing law officers,” the source said.