This evening I had to send the following email to Lee Gledhill of Alexander Barristers Chambers (http://www.alexanderchambers.co.uk/), copied to the Legal Ombudsman on my Case Reference No 201331227:
”I now look forward to the judgment of the Legal Ombudsman on whether your Firm discriminated against me on racial grounds (constituting racial discrimination in access to justice) since it is apparent that our correspondence has run its course.”
This allegation was suggested by me in relation to my court proceedings (Medway County Court No ME010463) against the University of Greenwich as previously reported in this blogsite: https://shantanup.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/dr-shantanu-panigrahis-scientific-career-in-doldrums-at-the-university-of-greenwich/.
4 March 2014 Update: The Legal Ombudsman wrote to me that it allows an 8-week notice period for the defendant to reconsider its position before it will act on a Case registered with it unless the complainant has received a final response from the defendant. I have requested the Legal Ombudsman on two occasions to act on my application immediately before the required 8 weeks is due on the grounds that fruitful exchange of views with Alexander Barristers Chambers has ceased. It is therefore not clear when the Legal Ombudsman will consider my application and reply to my request. Without his/her judgement I do not know whether I can issue legal proceedings of any nature against any of the parties involved in this matter. It remains to be seen if the Legal Ombudsman will provide clarification on these points following my latest emailed submissions.
8 March 2014 Update: 1. I am still waiting to know the outcome of this application and have written to the Bar Standards Board asking for an update.
2. Mr Lee Gledhill has written to me that he considered this blog as being defamatory so that he/Alexander Barristers Chambers reserve the right to take libel proceedings against me. I have replied to him that he/Alexander Barristers Chambers should initiate these legal proceedings now so that the matter can be decided upon in a court.
4 April 2014 Update: Since my original complaint in writing was made on 4 February 2014, 21.16 hours, the full eight weeks has passed by without a judgement that I have been notified of in this Case.
11 April 2014 Update: 1. I have received a report from the Legal Ombudsman’s office at 6.05 pm this evening stating that the barrister Mr Thomas Oxton acted correctly in this Case.
2. Medway County Court itself has yet to reply to me concerning my 17 March 2014-dated N244 Application Notice under Claim No. ME010463.
29 April 2014 Update: This morning I sent the following email to Medway County Court:
Me To enquiries@medway.countycourt.gsi.gov.uk 29 April 2014 at 9:11 AM To The Court Manager Medway County Court By email: enquiries@medway.countycourt.gsi.gov.uk
29 April 2014
Dear Sir or Madam
1. I submitted a N244 Application Notice to Medway County Court on 17 March 2014 with a Court Fee of £80 on Claim No ME010463. This Fee has apparently been cashed by the Court but I have not received any intimation of the progress of the ensuing proceedings to date, despite a reminder that I sent to you on 26 March 2014 at 12.47 pm by email.
2. I consider this state of affairs to be most unsatisfactory since every day that goes by the University of Greenwich gets away with depriving me of my money in terms of the loss of my medical retirement income, which is the primary issue of Claim No ME010463.
3. Please note that I informed Ms Lisa Hodge of the court that if permission to proceed with the case is not granted by the Court, I need full written reasons for this decision in order that I can challenge this decision at a higher court.
4. Finally, if the Court is not going to make a decision on my N244 Application Notice, please return my Court Fee of £80 so that I can approach the High Court directly with the proceedings before 15 May 2014.
Yours sincerely
Dr Shantanu Panigrahi
10 May 2014 Update: A totally unexpected letter, dated 7 May 2014, arrived in the post this morning from Mr Adam Sampson (Chief Ombudsman) at the Legal Ombudsman, as follows:
Your complaint about Mr Oxton (Barrister) I am writing to you about your complaint that has been investigated by my office. The Recommendation Report dated 11 April 2014 was sent to you on 11 April 2014. That report indicated if you either did not respond by 25 April, or that you did not indicate any disagreement with the recommendation contained in the report, then my office would consider the matter as resolved and consequently no further action would be needed.
Having checked our records, I can find no response from you. Therefore, I am going to treat your complaint as having been resolved and the case will now be closed. The practical effect of this is that my office’s involvement in the complaint is at an end and no further action will be taken in regard to the matters that were subject of the complaint. Yours sincerely Adam Sampson Chief Ombudsman
I replied by email immediately as follows:
Me To enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk 10 May 2014 at 10:26 AM To Mr Sampson Chief Ombudsman
1. Thank you for your letter dated 7 May 2014.
2. I reject your conclusions on the grounds that it was made amply clear to the Legal Ombudsman that my complaint was against not only Mr Thomas Oxton and Mr Lee Gledhill (who engaged in a joint effort to deny me access to justice by refusing to become instrumental in exposing the racist court officials of Medway County Court in Claim No ME010463) but it was also against other staff of Alexander Barristers Chambers who did not act properly to cover up its own racism against me effectively. When this omission became apparent to me I asked your investigator to refer herself to the Police for perverting the course of justice.
3. Accordingly, I stopped communications with the Legal Ombudsman as I have no confidence in your ability and predisposition to judge my complaint effectively.
Yours sincerely
Dr Shantanu Panigrahi
Comments: Here is Mr Adam Sampson’s credentials for holding the position of the Legal Ombudsman; from: http://www.legalservicesboard.org.uk/about_us/office_for_legal_complaints/adam_sampson.htm
Prior to leading the Legal Ombudsman Adam Sampson was Chief Executive of Shelter, the country’s leading housing and homelessness charity. Following three years (1985-1987) as Junior Dean at Brasenose College, Oxford, Mr Sampson worked as a probation officer in London until being appointed Deputy Director of the Prison Reform Trust in 1989. Mr Sampson joined the Home Office as Assistant Prisons Ombudsman in 1994, returning to the voluntary sector as Chief Executive of national drugs charity RAPt from 1997-2002. As Chief Executive of Shelter, Adam Sampson has broadcast and campaigned vigorously on housing and broader social policy issues. He has been a member of various Government Task Forces, and is on the Board of a number of non-Governmental bodies, including the End Child Poverty Campaign and the UK Drugs Policy Commission.
I was expecting that the position of Legal Ombudsman will go to a Judge, a Magistrate or a Barrister with considerable experience and ability to judge legal evidence.
21 May 2014 Update : See associated developments at https://shantanup.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/dr-shantanu-panigrahi-discusses-the-british-justice-system-with-the-cabinet-office-of-the-united-kingdom/
February 28, 2014 - Posted by shantanup | Uncategorized
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