Supreme Court Calls for Rethink on Lawyer Seniority Designation

The Supreme Court has called for a serious reconsideration of the process used to designate lawyers as senior advocates. Concerns include the adequacy of short interviews to assess advocate suitability, and the implications of undermining the dignity of advocates through current selection practices. A larger bench may be consulted.

The Supreme Court of India has expressed the necessity for 'serious introspection' regarding the designation of lawyers as senior advocates. This comes after the matter was referred to Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna to decide if a larger bench is needed to address the issue.

With reservations on assessing a candidate's suitability through brief interviews, Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih highlighted concerns over whether such assessments might compromise the dignity of advocates, noting that the current statute does not support applications for designation.

The bench acknowledged a previous ruling by former Justices Ranjan Gogoi, R F Nariman, and Navin Sinha, issued in 2017, setting guidelines for senior designation. However, the current process, which includes a points-based assessment by a permanent committee, has raised questions about fairness and effectiveness.