The recent designation of 71 lawyers as ‘senior advocates’ by the Delhi high court has been under a cloud with a member of the permanent committee alleging that the names had been released without his consent.
Senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog has alleged that the names of the lawyers were to be scrutinised by the committee first. He has also resigned from his post, according to Bar and Bench. The news outlet has also reported that the designation of 67 lawyers has been deferred.
In a chat with The Wire, Nandrajog expressed discontent over the process.
The permanent committee released the list of 71 lawyers, the copy of which is with The Wire. Why is it unsigned?
I have no knowledge about others, but I have not been consulted and the rules have not been followed as far as I know. I had informed the permanent committee that I am occupied in arbitration for the whole day and will not be able to contribute. And the list did not come to me before it was released. I was not available.
There was a meeting that took place last Monday [November 25] and you were a part of it. Right?
Yes. I was a part of the first meeting. But the first meeting is never the final. There are several rounds of meetings, discussions and deliberations before the tentative list is finalised. There are a lot of other aspects that are considered before designating someone as a senior advocate.
What are the rules that decide the process of designating someone as a ‘senior advocate’?
There is a cut off that is decided by the permanent committee. The cut off is usually between 70 to 75%.
What are the criteria for senior advocates?
The quality of judgements, number of articles published, and pro bono cases are taken into consideration before allocating marks. Then the list is released.
What is the permanent committee and who comprises it?
The senior designation is awarded after a permanent committee approves it. A permanent committee consists of the Chief Justice of the Delhi high court, the next two senior most judges, and the additional solicitor general, and senior advocates evaluate the candidates. Currently the committee has Chief Justice Manmohan. The next two senior-most judges are Vibhu Bhakru and Yshwant Verma. Additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma are there, including me and Mohit Mathur.
How many meetings have taken place?
There was only one meeting that had taken place and the second meeting was scheduled, but it never happened. It was supposed to take place this week. I had informed about my non-availability for the second meeting. The reason for hurriedly releasing the list is unknown to me.
So you claim that you have not been involved in the process?
Yes. I was not at all involved or consulted before the document was finalised. And to me it was a tentative list till the deliberations and discussions took place. No names were finalised in the first meeting.
The released names of 71 lawyers are the same name or are there any changes?
I have no knowledge about anything that has happened behind my back. I know that there was no final list. There was only a tentative list and everything was to be finalised.
