Fri Jan 03 00:59:15 UTC 2025: **Supreme Court Rebukes Plea Challenging Senior Advocate Designations**
NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court on Thursday sharply criticized a petition challenging the conferment of senior advocate designations, deeming its allegations against judges “scurrilous and unfounded.” The bench, comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan, directly questioned the petitioner’s lawyer, Mathews J Nedumpara, about insinuations within the plea suggesting favoritism towards the offspring of judges in the appointment process.
The plea, filed by Nedumpara and other practicing advocates, claimed that it was nearly impossible to find a judge, past or present, without family members who had achieved senior advocate status. The court rejected this assertion, stating that such allegations were inappropriate for a court of law. Justice Gavai cautioned Nedumpara against making speeches intended for a wider audience rather than presenting legal arguments.
The court offered Nedumpara the opportunity to amend the petition, which challenges Sections 16 and 23(5) of the Advocates Act, arguing that the two-tiered system of senior and non-senior advocates is unconstitutional and discriminatory. The petition specifically sought the quashing of recent senior advocate designations by the Delhi High Court. However, the court warned that failure to remove the “scurrilous averments” would result in further action. The petitioners were given four weeks to decide on the future course of action and to amend the petition accordingly.
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