CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Advocates Association has demanded that the central government include every member of the legal fraternity on the list of priority groups eligible to receive
Covid-19 vaccination in the first phase.
“It was a matter of shock, surprise and concern that the list of propriety segments does not show inclusion of members of the legal fraternity. It is a case of glaring omission or a deliberate discrimination committed by the officials concerned, as the essentiality of a robust judicial machinery cannot be either undermined or underrated,” senior advocate S Prabakaran, president of the association, said in the four-page communication.
It should be borne in mind that virtual courts and online filing and hearing of cases are only a stop-gap arrangement, as they can never fully replace a physical, in-person
court proceeding. Courts and legal fraternity do not live for themselves, as they use the statute and the constitution for the betterment of the society at large, the association added.
“While so, not including
lawyers on the priority list of professionals eligible for inoculation for Covid-19
vaccine in the first phase of the vaccination drive is unfair and illegal,” Prabakaran asserted.
Therefore, the association wanted the Union government to immediately declare legal fraternity as essential service personnel and include them in the priority list.
The association has also put that government on notice that it would approach the competent judicial
forum and obtain necessary orders if legal professionals including the judges are not added to the priority list.