Ahead of Pongal festivities in the State, the Madras High Court has directed all judicial officers to refrain from accepting sweets, fire-cracker boxes, hampers and other gifts..The Registrar General of the High Court issued a notification on January 11 saying that it had come to the Registry's notice that some judicial officers were accepting gifts from third parties during festive seasons. Such actions bring disrepute to the "entire judiciary," the notification stated."It has been brought to the notice of the Registry that certain Judicial Officers functioning in the state of Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Puducherry are receiving gift hampers/cracker boxes/sweet boxes from third parties during festival occassions. The aforesaid acts of certain Judicial Officers bring disrepute to the entire Judiciary of the state," the notification said. It thus barred all judicial officers functioning in the State of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry to refrain from receiving such gifts and to "maintain strict discipline and decorum while serving in the District Judiciary." The notification also said that the instruction must be followed scrupulously and that all deviations will be "viewed seriously.".[Read Notification]
