SC Orders Delhi HC To Reconsider Rejected Senior Advocate Applications

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Delhi High Court to revisit the applications of lawyers whose names were either rejected or deferred in the senior advocate designation process conducted in November 2024.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order while hearing a plea by Advocate Raman Gandhi, who had challenged the Delhi High Court’s decision to grant senior designation to only 70 out of 302 applicants.

67 Applications Deferred

According to the Supreme Court, 67 candidates’ applications were deferred, and many others were outright rejected. The bench ordered the High Court to review these applications under the existing 2024 rules and process them fairly.

“The applications of the deferred and rejected applicants shall be placed before the Committee and processed according to the rules of 2024. This should be done expeditiously,” the Court said.

Committee To Be Reconstituted

The Court also directed the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court to reconstitute the Permanent Committee that oversees senior designation selections. This committee shortlists candidates, whose names are then forwarded to the full court for final approval, following the guidelines set in the 2017 Supreme Court ruling in Indira Jaising v. Supreme Court of India.

Resignation Sparked Controversy

The designation process had sparked controversy when Senior Advocate Sudhir Nandrajog, a member of the Permanent Committee, resigned, alleging that the final list of designated lawyers was prepared without his consent.

The Supreme Court had earlier issued notices to the Delhi High Court’s Registrar General and Nandrajog, who later submitted a response in a sealed cover.

Supreme Court Questions

During the hearing, the court expressed concern over the speed at which the designation process was wrapped up in 2024.

“What was the tearing hurry for designation? If we go into how the process was done, it will not meet any ends,” the bench remarked.

With this order, the Supreme Court has paved the way for a fresh review of all deferred and rejected applications, aiming to ensure fairness, transparency, and compliance with the law.