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No sooner I was enrolled as an advocate in 1994, than started an agitation in Tamilnadu of advocates, on account of an attack on an advocate Mr.Shanmugasundaram, by some henchmen. This agitation lasted for nearly 45 days unbounded, the main plank of the agitation was the boycott of the courts. I believe earnestly that nothing was achieved in terms of advocates but the benefits accrued to one man Mr.Shanmugasundaram were many. He went on to become the public prosecutor of the state of Tamilnadu, Member of parliament and many intangible others. Now he betrayed the same advocate community, breaching the boycott call and appearing in the court and conducting the case. As a young and a new entrant into the profession I was attracted towards that agitation then, thinking the boycott of courts by the advocates would cripple the whole economy, bring the administration to a standstill and conceiving a fictitious feeling that everybody is frightened by the site of the advocates ,out of my ignorance. Later I understood how in vain the advocates are very often than not resort to such agitation as our profession is not designed to bring any such changes or pressures on the administration be it executive or judiciary, we fight against through boycott of courts. It could go on for years together without any result and the administration we fight against also go on without even a remote chance of any ill effects.
As a matter of fact except for the young and inexperienced advocates like me 22 years back, the boycott of courts is not their cup of tea. They knew the pros and cons of the same and have the experience of what it achieved in the past. It did not achieve anything against the system except a few isolated incidents against individuals like police excesses in some cases. They are just a hair of the dog. The system and the people at the helm that never bothered about the livelihood of so many advocates who were suspended without even being heard, will not be bothering about the loss of earning to the practicing advocates due to boycott of courts. Already this agitation looks like a sheep that have no shepherd and many advocates are lacking wherewithal to carry the fight forward in terms of money are certainly suggesting bleak future. Unless, we the advocates get rid of this obsolescent way of struggle, namely the boycott of courts, the whole agitation itself will lose it’s sheen. I am not averse to the very idea of agitating against the tyranny but the methods should be more meaningful, capable of uniting all brethren advocates with no burden on their earning source. A mere wearing of black ribbon on the chest by every advocate, though it looks like obsolete, would be sufficient enough to show our strength rather than a weak boycott call making the advocates stealthily appearing before the courts or encouraging their clients to represent their case guiding them from outside. They are not wrong indeed, instead they are perfectly right within the purview of law and preventing them would only be illegal.