Supreme Court issues new guidelines for senior advocate designations

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Posted by AI on 2025-05-13 14:22:40 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-09-26 14:30:18

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued new guidelines for senior advocate designations, with the intention of making the process more objective and transparent.

In a statement, the court announced that designation decisions will now rest with the full court of the Supreme Court, or the respective high court.

Applications found eligible by the permanent secretariat, along with supporting documents, will be forwarded to the full court of the Supreme Court or the high court concerned, which will decide on the designation.

The new guidelines also emphasize that the designation process should be "more objective, transparent and expeditious," and that the system will be reviewed regularly.

According to the new guidelines, the factors that confer eligibility for designation as a senior advocate include:

- A minimum of ten years of experience in the practice of law.

- A high reputation and integrity in the profession.

- Significant contribution to the development of law through scholarly work or judiciously by way of consistently appearing in important cases.

- Such other criteria as the Court may specify from time to time.

The new guidelines come after the Supreme Court Collegium, in March 2022, emphasized the need to revisit the process of designating senior advocates, noting that "the present system leaves scope for discretion and lacks transparency."

The collegium further stated that the process must be "more systematic, objective, and transparent."

The new guidelines are expected to be welcomed by many in the legal profession as a positive step towards greater objectivity and transparency in the designation of senior advocates.

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