Justice Abhay S. Oka, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Supreme Court
Supreme Court Seeks Response From Registrar General Of Delhi High Court On Recent Senior Advocate Designations
|The petitioner, an applicant for the designation, claimed that less meritorious candidates have been selected through a process that is irregular, biased, and contrary to law.
The Supreme Court has issued notice in a Writ Petition challenging the Notification of Designation of Senior Advocates issued by the High Court of Delhi, alleging violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.
The petitioner, an applicant for the designation, claimed that less meritorious candidates have been selected through a process that is irregular, biased, and contrary to law.
The Bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan directed the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court to submit a copy of the report prepared by the Permanent Committee, which finalizes the list of candidates for senior designation before it is sent to the full court for approval.
"Issue notice for the time being to the first respondent, i.e., Registrar General of the High Court of Delhi, returnable on 24th February, 2025. We direct the Registrar General to produce a copy of the report of the Permanent Committee in a sealed cover," the Bench ordered.
The petition was filed by Advocate Raman Gandhi, seeking to quash the full court’s decision to designate 70 lawyers as Senior Advocates. The Delhi High Court had interviewed 302 candidates before conferring the designation on 70 lawyers on November 29, 2024.
However, the decision became controversial after a member of the Permanent Committee resigned, alleging that the final list of designated lawyers was prepared without his consent.
The Permanent Committee, which shortlists candidates for designation, consists of the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice Vibhu Bakhru, Justice Yashwant Varma, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, and Senior Advocates Mohit Mathur and Sudhir Nandrajog. According to sources, Nandrajog, a representative of the Delhi government, did not sign the final list circulated to the full court as he was engaged in an arbitration proceeding at the relevant time. Reports also suggest that the final list differed from the originally agreed-upon list, raising concerns about possible tampering.
In light of these developments, the Supreme Court has also issued a notice to Nandrajog, directing him to respond. “In view of prayer clause (c), issue notice to Shri Sudhir Nandrajog, Senior Advocate, returnable on the same date (February 25),” the Court stated in its order.
This matter had previously come before a Supreme Court Bench led by Justices BR Gavai and AG Masih, which declined to entertain a similar plea filed by Advocate Sanjay Dubey. Another petition by Advocate Matthews Nedumpara was also heard by a Bench led by Justice Surya Kant but was not entertained.
Cause Title: Raman Alias Raman Gandhi v. Registrar General, High Court of Delhi & Anr.
Click here to read/download the Order