Senior Advocate designation: Supreme Court asks Delhi High Court to consider candidates whose designation was deferred

The Supreme Court has asked the Delhi High Court whether it was willing to resolve the controversy related to the designation of 70 lawyers as Senior Advocates by considering the cases of eligible candidates whose designation was deferred earlier.

Noting that there were a number of eligible candidates out of which certain candidates were designate, the Bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan on Friday directed the Counsel representing the Registrar General to return with instructions and make a statement on the issue by April 4.

He was further directed to take instructions on whether the Full Court, not the Permanent Committee of the Delhi High Court, was willing to reconsider the deferred or rejected cases.

The top court of the country sought the High Court’s response, while hearing a petition challenging the High Court’s recent designation of 70 lawyers as Senior Advocates.

If the High Court was not willing to consider the suggestion, the Supreme Court would have to examine the matter.

The Bench said it had seen the affidavit indicating the manner in which process was conducted.

Senior Advocate Sudhir Nandrajog, a former member of the Permanent Committee, had alleged that the final list of designated Senior Advocates was prepared without his consent.

On February 24, he submitted that the Committee had concluded interviews on November 19, 2024, and a meeting was held on November 25, 2024, during which a draft list of candidates was circulated by the then Chief Justice.

According to Nandrajog, it was agreed that the list would be reviewed in a subsequent meeting on December 2, 2024. However, no further meetings took place. The Apex Court allowed Nandrajog to file an affidavit to bring this on record.

The Bench directed on Friday that copies of Nandrajog’s affidavit be provided to the Advocates appearing in the matter.