Allotment of lawyers' chambers: SC permits petitioners to submit representation before committee

The Supreme Court Monday permitted the advocates, who have raised grievances regarding allotment of lawyers' chambers at the apex court premises on a twin-sharing basis, to submit a representation before a judges' committee which is overseeing the process.

The apex court observed that a committee presided by the senior-most judge of the court is overseeing the allotment of chambers and if there is some grievance of any segment of the Bar, they can make a representation to the panel.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna said the moment one says single allotment, half of the lawyers' will get allotment, and half of them go out.

''Frankly saying, anything we do is always going to hurt a segment of the Bar,'' the bench said.

Justice Chandrachud observed that there are lawyers, who have been given allotment after 40 years, and also those who are waiting for a long.

''As an Additional Solicitor General, I had a chamber of 120 square feet. That was Mumbai,'' Justice Chandrachud recalled.

The counsel appearing for the petitioners said the chamber to be allotted to the lawyers is too small to be shared.

The top court told the petitioners to submit a representation to the committee.

''We accordingly permit the petitioners and any of the other parties, who are before the court, to submit a written representation before the committee,'' the bench said and posted the matter after two weeks.

Recently, the Supreme Court's administrative branch has come out with a list of 468 lawyers who would be allotted chambers on a twin-sharing basis.

Last week, when a petition concerning the allotment of chambers to lawyers was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana, the CJI observed, ''We used to stand under the tree. You are fortunate to get chambers.'' Recalling his days as a lawyer, the CJI had said that getting a place for practicing advocacy is a ''big favour''.

''I can tell you, nowhere in the country, except Delhi, you get chambers,'' Justice Ramana had observed.PTI ABA ABA RKS RKS

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