Unprecedented welcome for Justice Muralidhar

Part of HC collegium

• Justice S Muralidhar will hear tax, writ and civil matter

• He will also be part of the HC collegium with Chief Justice Jha and Justice Rajiv Sharma

• With him, the number of Judges at the Punjab and Haryana HC has gone up to 56 against sanctioned strength of 85

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 6

Unprecedented rush and enthusiasm was witnessed as a large number of lawyers poured in despite the morning drizzle to welcome Justice S Muralidhar, who was administered oath as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court by Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha this morning.

Transferred at “midnight” from the Delhi High Court in midst of the Delhi violence case hearing, Justice Muralidhar joined here as the senior-most judge after the Chief Justice. He will be hearing tax, writ and civil matter.

But the tax roster given to Justice Muralidhar has generated a debate of sorts in legal circles with some expressing “disappointment” over it.

A section maintained it was a practise in high court of judicatures, especially Bombay, that tax Bench is always presided over by the Chief Justice or first pusine judge. Some others insisted that Justice Muralidhar could be given a more important roster of cases in view of his vast experience.

Meanwhile, the roads leading to the High Court reflected the enthusiasm of the advocates in welcoming him. One of the many hoardings dotting the roads read: “Delhi’s loss is Punjab’s gain”. Inside the high court auditorium, lawyers waited for him with roses.

At a simple but impressive ceremony attended by sitting and retired judges of the high court, bureaucrats, relatives and advocates, Justice Muralidhar swore to “bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established”.

Justice Muralidhar will also be a part of the High Court collegium with Chief Justice Jha and Justice Rajiv Sharma. The number of Judges with his transfer has gone up to 56 against the sanctioned strength of 85.

Justice Muralidhar began practising law in Chennai in September 1984 and shifted to the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court in 1987. He was active as a lawyer for the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee and later was its member for two terms. His pro bono work included the cases for the victims of the Bhopal gas disaster and those displaced by the dams on the Narmada.

He was appointed amicus curiae by the SC in several PIL cases and in cases involving convicts on death row. He was also counsel for the National Human Rights Commission and the Election Commission of India and a part-time member of the Law Commission from December 2002 to May 2006 when he was appointed a Judge of the Delhi High Court.

Justice Muralidhar was awarded PhD by the Delhi University in 2003. He is the author of “Law, Poverty and Legal Aid: Access to Criminal Justice” published in August 2004.