Aadhaar link may be made compulsory for lawyers to check credentials, says HC
TNN | Updated: Dec 10, 2017, 00:49 IST
Chennai: Saying that days are not far off when advocates have to link Aadhaar to certificates of lawyers in order to verify their credentials, Madras high court has refused to relax its recent order mandating that they affix their photographs on vakkalats.
Justice S Vaidyanathan, rejecting requests made by Madras Bar Association and Madras High Court Advocates Association to modify his November 6 order, said: "All courts, including this court and the Supreme Court, are interested in the welfare of genuine advocates. If the Bar is going to stand on technicalities and protect fraudulent advocates, this court cannot be a party to it, more particularly with regard to the fate of the litigants."
He said the court was more concerned about moral values in the advocate profession, than the legality of any issue, particularly, in the context of fraudulent lawyers. "It is to be remembered that law profession is already under severe criticism and due to the illegal activities of lawyers in this state, the reputation of the profession is getting diminished among the public," Justice Vaidyanathan said.
On November 6, he he held affixing of photographs by advocates in vakkalats mandatory, and said it must be affixed on anticipatory and other bail application forms of an affidavit. By doing so, misrepresentation and cross-filing of bail application could be averted, apart from easily verifying the genuineness of advocates appearing before the courts, the order justified.
Reiterating the seriousness of the issue, the judge said: "If a doctor commits mistake, his patient will go six feet beneath the earth, whereas if an advocate commits mistake, his client will go six feet above the earth (death sentence by hanging)."
TNN | Updated: Dec 10, 2017, 00:49 IST
Chennai: Saying that days are not far off when advocates have to link Aadhaar to certificates of lawyers in order to verify their credentials, Madras high court has refused to relax its recent order mandating that they affix their photographs on vakkalats.
Justice S Vaidyanathan, rejecting requests made by Madras Bar Association and Madras High Court Advocates Association to modify his November 6 order, said: "All courts, including this court and the Supreme Court, are interested in the welfare of genuine advocates. If the Bar is going to stand on technicalities and protect fraudulent advocates, this court cannot be a party to it, more particularly with regard to the fate of the litigants."
He said the court was more concerned about moral values in the advocate profession, than the legality of any issue, particularly, in the context of fraudulent lawyers. "It is to be remembered that law profession is already under severe criticism and due to the illegal activities of lawyers in this state, the reputation of the profession is getting diminished among the public," Justice Vaidyanathan said.
On November 6, he he held affixing of photographs by advocates in vakkalats mandatory, and said it must be affixed on anticipatory and other bail application forms of an affidavit. By doing so, misrepresentation and cross-filing of bail application could be averted, apart from easily verifying the genuineness of advocates appearing before the courts, the order justified.
Reiterating the seriousness of the issue, the judge said: "If a doctor commits mistake, his patient will go six feet beneath the earth, whereas if an advocate commits mistake, his client will go six feet above the earth (death sentence by hanging)."
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