Litigants were affected as members of the Bar Association in Vaniyambadi town near Tirupattur have been boycotting the court proceedings of all three courts - Judicial Magistrate Court, Subordinate Court and District Munisf Court - since Friday, demanding a permanent Combined Court Complex in the town.
The three courts are located in different spots in the town. Each court, on an average, is located at least 1.5-kms away from the other court. It has resulted in hardship for litigants, advocates and court staff to commute from one court to another. “On many occasions, litigants, who have cases in two courts, miss their opportunity to present themselves due to the distance between courts,” said D. Sampath, president, Bar Association (Vaniyambadi).
The existing Judicial Magistrate Court, oldest among three courts, has been located in the Government Estate on the outskirts of the town since the early 1920s when it was formed. The District Munisf Court was formed in 1995 and was functioning from a rented room in the Government Commercial Tax building. The Subordinate Court, which was formed in 2009, is also operating from a rented room in the town.
Every day, more than 150 litigants, mostly from Vaniyambadi taluk that comprises 45 villages, visit these courts. Around 75 advocates are working as regular practitioners. On an average, over 100 cases come up at each court every day. Currently, 1,500 - 2,000 cases are pending before each of these three courts for many years.
Each court has been divided into small rooms that house the judge’s chambers, record room and court halls. Most of the rooms are poorly lit and the ceilings of the structure are flaking off due to weathering over the years. Further, under-trials are also brought to the court for remand and custody. However, due to the lack of custody rooms at these courts, the police who accompany the under-trials are on the spot to ensure the safety of the under-trials.
Case bundles need better maintenance; there are not enough steel bureaus to store them. During monsoon, the courts get inundated as the building is low-lying. Further, as there is no audio system to call cases or parties, many litigants wait for long hours or leave as they are unsure about whether their case has been called, the advocates said.
At present, combined courts are located in Tirupattur town, Ambur, Vellore town, Katpadi, Gudiyatham, Sholinghur, Ranipet and Arcot. Most of them were built a decade ago.
