Justice A. Selvam, the administrative judge of the Madras High Court Bench here, earned the appreciation of lawyers practising in the Madras High Court Bench here on Saturday by declaring that he had decided to donate his body for research. The announcement was made at the crystal year celebrations of Madras High Court Madurai Bench Advocates Association (MAHAA) which was formed even before the inauguration of the Bench in July 2004.
Chief Justice Indira Banerjee congratulated all those who had expressed their willingness to donate their eyes and bodies. “This is a great donation which cannot be measured. The value of this donation is immeasurable. There will be persons who will see through your eyes. There will be research done in bodies which would otherwise be turned into ash or buried under the ground. You have set an example for many of us to follow,” she said. The Chief Justice also said that she would set up a committee of judges led by Mr. Justice Selvam to consider a slew of demands made by MAHAA president K.P. Thiyagarajan for the benefits of lawyers. “If the demands had been given to me a little earlier, I might have made a fair statement on which of them would be acceptable and which of them would be difficult to implement. Yet, I will try and set up a committee of judges to look into the matter and advise me,” she added.
Urging young lawyers practising in the Madurai Bench to emulate their seniors and work sincerely, she said: “I pray that with the blessings of Goddess Meenakshi, this temple of justice would shine. It will be one of the premier institutions in the country. It will deliver quality justice to those who approach it. Good justice comes not just from the judges, it is from the advocates who assist the judges. The better the arguments, the better the judgements.”
Mr. Thiyagarajan had urged the Chief Justice to give adequate representation for the lawyers practising in the Madurai Bench while recommending names for elevation as judges of the High Court. His other demands included provision of additional chambers for the lawyers since the strength of advocates practising in the Bench had increased manifold in the last 12 years, construction of an indoor auditorium and providing a covered walkway from the lawyers chambers to the court buildings.
Justice J. Nisha Banu, Justice G. Jayachandran, MAHAA secretary C. Arulvadivel alias Sekar and treasurer V. Ramakrishnan also participated in the event.
