Lawers plan to meet Chief Justice

Madurai:Lawyers practising in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court will meet Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah in Chennai to highlight the "disparities" among High Court judges in granting anticipatory bail.They are aggrieved at the practice followed by a few judges who grant only temporary anticipatory bail, for one-four months, while a few others grant permanent anticipatory bail until the criminal case was disposed of.

Some of the office-bearers of the major Bar associations here represented the matter before Justice G. Rajasuria, hearing anticipatory bail petitions, on Monday and sought adjournment of all such cases until the matter was brought to the notice of the Chief Justice. They promised to get back by Wednesday afternoon.The issue cropped up in April this year when Justice P.R. Shivakumar, presiding over the Madurai Bench, stopped the practice of granting permanent anticipatory bail, relying upon a February 23 Supreme Court ruling. A two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that granting permanent anticipatory bail would amount to imposing a blanket ban on the police to arrest the accused.

Mr. Justice Rajasuria, who held the anticipatory bail portfolio in May, referred the matter to the Chief Justice for being placed before a larger Bench. A Division Bench of Justices M. Chockalingam and P.R. Shivakumar heard the matter and ruled that only the Supreme Court could resolve the issue.