The Madras High Court Advocates' Association (MHAA) has adopted a resolution expressing strong disapproval of the behavior of Lata Basavaraj Patne, a Judicial Member and Head of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Chennai. She reportedly instructed a senior member of the legal profession to leave her courtroom during a hearing.

In the resolution released on September 22, the Madras High Court Advocates' Association (MHAA) alleged that Lata Basavaraj Patne had instructed advocate R Sankarasubbu to "leave" during a case hearing. The Association asserted that such behavior was inappropriate for a judicial member.

Signed by 230 members, the resolution states that the MHAA intends to submit a formal request to both the chairperson of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and the Union government. In this representation, they will seek the transfer of Lata Basavaraj Patne from her current position in Chennai.

Members of the MHAA expressed concerns that Lata Basavaraj Patne's behavior during the incident did not instill confidence in her ability to remain impartial in her role.

Additionally, MHAA members pointed out that Lata Basavaraj Patne's demeanor towards lawyers from Chennai had undergone a noticeable shift. They believed this change in her behavior was linked to the Association's filing of a public interest litigation in the Madras High Court. This litigation claimed that order copies for approximately 150 cases heard between January and April of that year were still pending issuance by the Chennai bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

According to MHAA, on September 22, when the lawyer in question, R Sankarasubbu, requested Lata Basavaraj Patne to schedule a case he was representing before a different bench, she responded by instructing him to "leave."

Patne then suggested that the lawyers could send a letter to the registry to request the posting of their cases before another bench.