What’s In A Name? When ‘Mr. Highcourt’ Approaches Madras High Court

As far as unusual cases go, the Madras High Court seems to have bagged itself a winner. The Court has been approached by a 72-year-old retired police head constable from Tiruvannamalai district named B. Highcourt.

Mr. Highcourt has approached the High Court demanding a direction to the Judicial Magistrate at Polur in Tiruvannamalai district to commit a case filed by him under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989 to a special court designated for subjecting offenders under the Act to trial.

The litigation arose out of a dispute between Mr. Highcourt with an adjacent landowner after he moved to his native village Kalvasal in Polur Taluk of Tiruvannamalai district to pursue farming at his ancestral property post-retirement.

He has alleged that in September, 2012, three people hurled abuses at him and also called him caste based names. He then lodged a complaint with the Santhavasal police under the SC/ST Act. Acting on the complaint, two of the accused were arrested by the police, and were remanded to judicial custody. A chargesheet was subsequently filed before the Judicial Magistrate, Polur.

He, however, now complains that despite four years having elapsed since then, the magistrate is yet to commit the case to the Special Court for trial. Therefore, demanding the High Court’s intervention, Mr. Highcourt contends, “…because there is an extraordinary delay in committing the case in PRC No.6 of 2014, the petitioner is put to much hardship since he is not able to get justice, though the case was registered on 26.09.2012, and unless this Hon’ble Court is pleased to pass direction directing the Judicial Magistrate, Polur, to commit the case to the Court of Sessions/ Special Court for SC ST Act.(sic)”

As for the story behind Mr. Highcourt’s name, his counsel K. Kannan told The Hindu that while he had never thought of asking him the reason for having been named so, judges have previously been taken aback on hearing his client’s name.