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MHAA Condemns Judicial Member’s Behavior in CAT Chennai Bench, Seeks Transfer

LI Network

Published on: 28  September 2023 at 12:07 IST

The Madras High Court Advocates’ Association (MHAA) has issued a resolution denouncing the behavior of Judicial Member and Head of the Department of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Chennai bench, Lata Basavaraj Patne.

The resolution, dated September 22, criticizes Patne for instructing senior advocate R Sankarasubbu to vacate her courtroom during a hearing.

In its statement, the MHAA expressed that such conduct was inappropriate for a judicial member. The resolution, endorsed by 230 members, outlines the MHAA’s intention to send a formal representation to the CAT’s chairperson and the Union government, requesting Patne’s transfer from Chennai.

MHAA members have raised concerns that Patne’s actions have eroded confidence in her ability to remain impartial. They noted a noticeable change in Patne’s behavior towards Chennai lawyers after the MHAA filed a public interest litigation in the Madras High Court, asserting that order copies for approximately 150 cases heard between January and April of that year had not yet been issued by the Chennai bench of the CAT.

On September 22, during a plea by lawyer R Sankarasubbu to list a case he was representing before a different bench, Patne instructed him to “leave,” as reported by the MHAA. Patne suggested that the lawyers could submit a letter to the registry to have their cases assigned to another bench.