"Madras High Court Grants Stay on ₹5 Lakh Compensation Order Against Madras Bar Association for Non-Member Discrimination"
A division bench of the Madras High Court has temporarily halted the implementation of a single judge's order that mandated the Madras Bar Association (MBA) to pay ₹5 lakh in compensation. The order was issued following an incident where a lawyer, who was not a member of the MBA, was denied access to drinking water on the premises by another lawyer. Justices SS Sundar and K Rajasekar granted the interim stay after the MBA appealed against the June 22 order, which also instructed the association to admit lawyers without discrimination based on social or economic status. The division bench noted that the single judge should have referred the case to a division bench due to the involvement of the registrar general of the High Court. The matter has been scheduled for a final hearing on July 14. During this hearing, the bench will determine whether the MBA can be held vicariously liable for the actions of its members. The single judge's order has been suspended until the appeal is heard and resolved. The original incident occurred in 2012 and the single judge deemed the discriminatory act as a violation of constitutional guarantees, equating it with 'untouchability'.
TAGS: Madras High Court division bench stays order Madras Bar Association pay ₹5 lakh compensation discriminating against non-member.
