SC releases new guidelines for senior advocate designations

THE COURT SAID THE POINT BASED FORMAT WAS NOT OBJECTIVE, AND HAD FAILED TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED GOALS

- Ayesha Arvind

NEW DELHI: In a major overhaul of the process to designate senior advocates, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that the points-based assessment system introduced through the landmark Indira Jaising judgments in 2017 and 2023 be discontinued by both the top court and high courts.

A special bench comprising justices Abhay S Oka, Ujjal Bhuyan, and SVN Bhatti held that the existing framework, which awards marks for categories such as years of practice, reported judgments, publications, and interviews, will no longer apply to future designations, and said that all high courts must instead frame new rules or amend their existing ones to reflect the apex court's judgment.