Supreme Court Calls for Accountability in Adjournment Requests

The Supreme Court addressed a lawyer's adjournment request made using senior advocate Harish Salve's name without his knowledge. Justices expressed concern over this practice, urging an apology to the court as an institution. The court stressed against assuming automatic adjournment with the mention of a senior counsel's name.

In a significant move, the Supreme Court censured the practice of adjournment requests made citing senior advocates without their consent. This followed an incident where a lawyer sought adjournment using the name of senior advocate Harish Salve.

A bench comprising Justices A S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed discontent, emphasizing that apologies should be addressed to the court as an institution rather than an individual judge. They noted a concerning trend among junior barristers, who, they said, might underestimate the importance of formal gestures like apologies.

Reiterating the court's stance, the bench clarified that the name of a senior advocate does not suffice for adjournment. Nonetheless, the court granted the request, later, aiming to rectify any misconception that such adjournments are guaranteed.