A majority of Madras High Court judges were disturbed over seating arrangements made at the Raj Bhavan here on Sunday when Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office to the new Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani.
The judges were made to sit behind the Ministers and police officers and the Registrar General of the High Court as well as its Registrar (Liasoning) were not permitted to check the seating arrangements beforehand, court officials said.
When The Hindu contacted Justice M.S. Ramesh, he confirmed that the protocol was not maintained and even plain-clothes police officers were allowed to sit in the front rows while relegating the High Court judges to the back seats.
“I, as an individual, have no problem in being seated anywhere, but I as a judge of the High Court definitely have a problem with the incautious protocol followed today. The judges deserve an explanation from whosoever was responsible for this,” Justice M.S. Ramesh said.
The judge went on to add that the Raj Bhavan officials not allowing the Registrar General of the High Court to inspect the seating arrangements only fortified the suspicion that the judges of the High Court had been given the cold shoulder deliberately.
