A bench headed by Chief Justice of India, JS Khehar, on Friday (March 31) issued notices to Secy General of the Apex Court, Advocate on Record Association and the Supreme Court Bar Association on designating senior advocates by the apex court and the high courts. They were asked to respond within two weeks.

Senior Advocate and former Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising had filed an application seeking directions that no senior advocates be designated until the Court arrived at a decision on the matter. She had earlier raised objections to the manner in which lawyers were being designated as senior advocates by the Supreme Court and the high courts.

The matter had come up in the Supreme Court which felt that the issue should be placed before the chief justice of India so that a larger bench could be formed to adjudicate it. The court felt that the matter was critical and could affect bar associations.

As the matter was still pending in the apex court, the Delhi High Court went ahead and designated 12 lawyers as senior advocates. Jaising went to apex court complaining about it and pointed out how this was done when the concerned bench had assured that there would be status quo and no lawyer designated as senior advocate after the court’s order.

—India Legal Bureau