Supreme Court Proposes Fresh Evaluation for Senior Lawyer Designations

The Supreme Court has suggested a fresh evaluation process for conferring senior designations on lawyers in Delhi, following concerns of irregularities. This involves reconstituting a committee to reassess applications that were previously rejected or deferred, in accordance with the Indira Jaising judgement.

The Supreme Court has recommended a new evaluation process for the designation of senior lawyers in Delhi, following allegations of irregularities in the previous selection. A panel at the Delhi High Court will reassess applications that were rejected or deferred.

Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan requested senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao to seek instructions for conducting the exercise afresh. This decision emerged from a plea challenging the High Court's earlier designation of 70 advocates, including 12 women, in 2024.

The apex court emphasized the need for a thorough examination, expressing doubts about the adequacy of short interviews to assess candidates' suitability. The issue is to be evaluated further by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, with potential implications on the future designation process under the Advocates Act.