In TN, legal fraternity has closed its ranks to demand elevation of Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar's which was earlier presumed to be only a matter of time. With his superannuation timeline approaching, ardent admirers of the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir high court point out how he had disposed of more than one lakh cases, of which over 2,500 were reported in reputed law journals. Apart from seniority, he is credited with integrity and command over all genres of law.
Worried Bar leaders and top lawyers have started finalizing representations, signature campaigns and meetings since the Supreme Court collegium has not yet recommended the seniormost Tamil Nadu judge for appointment as SC judge, even though he is just weeks away from his superannuation.
Since his elevation as additional judge of Madras high court on December 10, 2005, till his transfer to the Jammu and Kashmir high court on February 2, 2015, Justice Paul Vasanthakumar had disposed of more than one lakh cases, of which over 46,000 were main cases while the remaining were miscellaneous petitions. In the past two years as chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir high court, he had disposed of more than 5,000 cases.
"He is enjoying all India seniority among chief justices, and the chartered Madras high court has only one judge in Justice R Banumathi at present. The court traditionally has had at least two judges representing Tamil Nadu," said Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA).
The elite Madras Bar Association (MBA), which rarely takes up such issues, too has adopted a resolution, said its president and senior advocate R Shanmugasundaram. Women Lawyers Association president V Nalini said any delay in accommodating the jurist in the apex court will cause irreparable damage as he is scheduled to retire on March 15.