MADRAS HIGH COURT PRACTISING ADVOCATES ASSOCIATION REP BY ITS PRESIDENT ELEPHANT G RAJENDRAN CHENNAI Vs. REGISTRAR GENERAL HIGH COURT OF MADRAS

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioner is a practising advocate in the High Court of Madras and is also the President of the Madras High Court Practising advocates? Association. He has filed this pro bono publico for a writ of mandamus to direct the Registrar General, High Court, Madras, the first respondent herein, to issue suitable orders/directions to the print and electronic media not to publish any matter relating to the administration of the High Court without obtaining proper permission from the Registrar General and also not to publish any matter till the Court passes any order therein.

(2.) IN the affidavit filed in support of the writ petition, the petitioner has stated that the news item flashed in the New INdian Express on 20.3.2010 under the caption "Judicial INterference in Advocate Body Flayed" prompted him to file this writ petition with a view to curb the interference of Press in the matter of administration of justice. According to the petitioner, the aforesaid news item related to a representation signed by about 100 advocates submitted to the Hon?ble the Chief Justice with certain requests, which cannot and ought not to be published in any newspaper since it was purely between the petitioner and the judiciary, and the newspaper has no right to publish it unless the Registry of the High Court releases it for publication. It is stated that the petitioner had been impleaded in a civil suit, viz. C.S. No. 301 of 2005 and was pleading therein and publishing the said letter, when the matter is pending adjudication before this Court is direct interference in the administration of justice. The petitioner seeks a direction to respondents 2 and 3 to file an affidavit about the source of the letter and also produce a copy of the memorandum obtained before the Court for further directions.

(3.) ON the aforesaid premises, the following directions are sought for by the petitioner, which according to him are necessary for safeguarding the judiciary: