The High Court yesterday ordered that a meeting of the board of the public relations firm, Murray Consultants Limited, scheduled for this morning should not take place.

Mr Justice Peter Kelly granted an interim order to Mr Terence P. Horgan, of Deerpark Road, Castleknock, Dublin, who claims to be a partner in the firm, against Mr Joseph Patrick James Murray and Mr James Milton, of the firm.

The injunction, returnable to Monday next, restrains the respondents from holding a board meeting scheduled for today or from passing any resolutions at that meeting.

The judge granted the respondents liberty to apply at 24 hours notice to the court to vary the order.

Applying for the order yesterday, Mr Paul Gardiner, for Mr Horgan, said Mr Horgan claimed to be a partner in Murray Consultants and that he had effectively been excluded from the company since 1996, although he remained as a director and shareholder.

Counsel said Mr Horgan wished to restrain a meeting of the directors of Murray scheduled for today at 8 a.m. on the grounds that the notice given to Mr Horgan was inadequate.

In an affidavit, Mr Horgan said that as part of their oppression of him, the respondents have made it impossible for him to attend board meetings.

He said it was his belief the salaries of Mr Murray and Mr Milton were £70,000 a year prior to September, 1998.

It was his belief that, by virtue of a resolution passed at a board meeting on September 22nd, 1998, the salary of Mr Murray increased by £60,000 and that of Mr Milton by £40,000.

He said the respondents had also purported to grant themselves two separate categories of bonus which permitted them to earn a further sum to a maximum of 50 per cent of their salary.

Mr Horgan said he believed the respondents were trying to siphon from Murray Consultants monies which were previously paid to the respondents and Mr Horgan and were seeking to deprive him of monies to which he was legally entitled.