Appoint officer for transport corpn standing counsels’ panel: HC

CHENNAI: Observing that there was no counsel assisting transport corporations several times when they were arrayed as respondents, Justice R Suresh Kumar directed the State government to appoint a coordinating officer to oversee the works of standing counsels of Transport Corporations.

When the judge took up a case filed by P Natarajan, a former staff of Villupuram Transport Corporation for hearing, no counsel appeared for the Corporation. Though some advocates’ names were mentioned as counsel for respondents on record, they did not appear to argue the case.

The court then directed the Managing Director of State Transport Corporation, Villupuram, to take stock of the situation and take urgent effective steps to ensure that in every case where the Transport Corporation concerned was made a party, it should be properly and effectively represented by any of the nominated standing counsel from the panel. “For [this], a coordinating officer shall be specifically appointed to oversee so that such kind of lapses shall not occur in future,” Justice Suresh Kumar noted.

Though it was brought to the notice of the court that a panel of lawyers has already been appointed, none of them seems to have taken any notice, the judge noted, and said the court did not have any information whether the Transport Corporation or legal wing concerned contacted the new counsels and entrusted the case papers to them.

“This court feels that if this kind of default continuously occurs, it will hamper the dispensation of justice, as no finality could be arrived at without the assistance of any counsel on behalf of the Transport Corporation,” he added.

The State government had issued a GO in December 2021 withdrawing the then panel and appointing a new panel of advocates for Transport Corporations. Sources said this was done based on the advice of the Advocate General to remove advocates who were appointed during the AIADMK regime, as many of them were associated with the AIADMK and BJP.

“Counsels who handled the cases filed during the AIADMK regime are not in office now. Counsels for Transport Corporations are not appearing to argue the case because of this,” said sources.