The Madras High Court sought a response as to whether Advocate stickers should be banned if they are misused to evade the law.
While dealing with a PIL moved by one, Ramesh, the Madurai Bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and B Pugalendhi were told that law students were misusing Advocate stickers on their vehicles to evade the police.
The Court further noted that there have been several media reports alleging that Advocate stickers have been misused by goondas to bring contraband and other illegal activities.
This led the Bench to question whether stickers from Supporters should be banned because they are being used for illegal activities. In this regard, the Court's questions include:
- Whether the Advocate sticker is legally authorized and whether it has got legal sanction?
- Why shouldn't the Court ban the Advocate sticker as it is being used for criminal activities by sticking it in the vehicles in order to intimidate the Police and escape from the clutches of law?
Among the respondents, the State, the Director-General of Police, the Bar Council of India, the Tamil Nadu Bar Council, the Pondicherry Bar Association, the Madras Bar Association, the Madras High Court Advocates' Association, the Women Advocate Association, the Madurai Bar Association and other prominent Bar Associations in Tamil Nadu were invited suo motu by the Court to respond to these questions.
It is expected that the matter will be considered later this month.
