The Indian Express 11.08.2012
Each civic body looks for own set of lawyers
In the absence of lawyers assigned to civic agencies, the East and
South corporations have called in applications from senior advocates to
represent them.
According to officials, a number of cases are pending in the
Supreme Court and High Court. Lawyers representing the monolithic
Municipal Corporation of Delhi do not know which of the three civic
bodies they are now supposed to represent.
“It becomes problematic for lawyers who appeared for the unified
civic agency. We may take different stands on one issue and thus lawyers
dedicated to our corporation. Moreover, it will settle the issue of who
would pay the lawyers. No civic agency wants to pay in a case involving
all three agencies,” said a senior South corporation official.
East and South corporations have invited applications from
advocates for an initial period of one year. The posts for which the
applications have been called are Standing Counsel (Supreme Court),
Additional Standing Counsel (Supreme Court), Advocate-on-Record (Supreme
Court), Standing Counsel (High Court) and CAT, Additional Standing
Counsel (High Court) and CAT, Panel Advocates (High Court), CAT. The
selection committee will take applications till August 16.
The selected advocates will have to submit an undertaking stating that they will not represent the other two corporations.“Our lawyers will not appear against South corporation and North
corporation in any court matters till they are on our panel,” said a
senior East corporation official.
