HC refuses to exempt lawyers from paying electricity charges

HC refuses to exempt lawyers from paying electricity charges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:19.03.2021 

Calling it a publicity stunt, the Madras high court has dismissed a public interest writ petition filed by a Bar association leader to direct Tangedco not to demand power consumption charges for lawyers’ chambers from March 2020 to February 2021.

“Lawyers are more privileged when compared to many other sections of society affected due to Covid-19,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said on Thursday. The bench further added that the petitioner’s attempted publicity could not be permitted by the court.

According to Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry co-chairman G Mohanakrishnan, there was absolutely no power consumed either by the lawyers or the registrar office during the lockdown period between March 22, 2020 and February 28.

However, lawyers have tremendously assisted the court for effective dispensation of justice either from their homes or offices. Therefore, the demand of consumption charges for the non-usage period for the lawyer’s chambers is unjust and unreasonable, he said.

More than 3,000 lawyers use the 550 chambers located on high court premises. But none used the chambers during lockdown as they were denied entry, he added. Claiming that the Tangedco authorities have started disconnecting electricity supply due to nonpayment of charges for the lockdown period, the petitioner sought the court’s intervention .