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This arrangement has been introduced after a young counsel requested the court to adjourn a case instead of passing it over. On being asked the reason, the counsel informed that he could not argue at 4 pm because he was supposed to pick up his child from school at 3.30 pm.
Justice Swaminathan, judge, Madras High Court has permitted young lawyers, who are mothers, to ask for a specific time slot for arguments. The judge put out a notice today intimating the same. This arrangement will come into effect from tomorrow.
According to the notice, this arrangement has been introduced after a young counsel requested the court to adjourn a case, instead of passing it over. On being asked the reason, the counsel expressed that he could not argue at 4 pm because he was supposed to pick up his child from school at 3.30 pm.
The judge has expressed that the incident made him think about the issue of parent advocates. In the notice, the judge has written that “there are quite a few young mothers practicing before me. They may have similar difficulties. I think it is my duty to accommodate them.”
In the light of the above, the judge in the notice has informed the bar that such persons can inform the court officer beforehand and ask for a specific slot. The notice, however, makes it clear that this arrangement is subject to the counsels passing on the dates and events, case laws on which they are going to rely, and the propositions which they want to advance to the court officer a day earlier.
It has also been clarified that this arrangement is only available to independent practitioners. It has been made clear that, those part of an office cannot seek a time slot for the benefit of their “male seniors.”.
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