SUDARSHAN KUMAR BANSAL Vs. CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) MR. T.R. Subramanium, Controller General, Patents, Designs and Trade Mark is present in Court. He has brought to our notice Office Instruction No. 1 of 1997 dated 13th January, 1977 which has been issued clarifying that all the proceedings before the Registrar of Trade Marks while discharging the functions as "Tribunal" are open to public subject to availability of space and subject to the decorum of the Tribunal being maintained. There is no doubt that decorum before the Tribunal has to be maintained at any costs. Regarding the availability of space, we have been informed that in some of the Registries, in particular, at Mumbai, the space is fairly small and cannot accommodate more than two chairs, which can hardly accommodate the parties and their representatives. Regarding space, let MR. Subramanium take up the matter with the appropriate authorities at Mumbai and other places where the space is not adequate. We hope that the authorities would favourably look into the matter and make every endeavour to provide adequate space. We may also clarify that pending availability of adequate space, if a Member of public who may be interested in the proceedings and is willing to watch the proceedings, it can be done without the provision of chairs. The writ petition is disposed of in the above terms.