Delhi High Court Bar Association Felicitates CJI Surya Kant, Urges For More Elevations From Bar

The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) on Thursday felicitated Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, to honor his appointment as the country's top most judge.

The felicitation function was organised by the lawyers' body in the lobby of Main Court Building, 'A' Block of the High Court.

Lauding the DHCBA and its efforts over the years, CJI Kant said that having a membership of 47,000 lawyers, DHCBA is one of the largest bars in the country and that it is one of the most influential voices of the legal fraternity.

CJI said that the strength of the Delhi High Court bar lies in the seriousness in which it engages with the Court, and depth of experience of its lawyers. He added that the bar and the bench occupy distinct roles- while one advances causes, the other resolves them.

Justice Kant said that the bench must balance the competing demands of fairness and consistency.

“Functional distinctions should never question the truth which is that both bar and bench contribute to same purpose. The bar and bench must act as co participants in the justice delivery system,” he said.

“The bar shapes evolution of justice through its interaction with the bench. The Association's contribution to the growth of arbitration and mediation in Delhi, parliamentary committee on virtual courts and administrative matters reflect appreciation that trust is build through participation, rather than distance,” CJI added.

He concluded his address by saying that the DHCBA has throughout the years demonstrated its capacity to engage in the question of infrastructure, virtual functioning or conditions of practice, and that the lawyers' body is shaped by generations of lawyers.

Senior Advocate N Hariharan, President of DHCBA, in his address, urged the CJI to consider elevating lawyers from the “vast pool of lawyers” of the Delhi High Court to the judiciary.

He said that Delhi's bar is amongst the largest and the most constitutionally engaged bar in the country. He said that judges elevated from the bar brings with them legal competence but also lived knowledge of the court, its litigants and traditions.

“At present, there are more than 1 lakh cases pending. The High Court continues to function despite reduced strength of 42 judges against sanctioned strength of 60 judges. While we acknowledge the efforts made to address the shortfall but a meaningful response lies in this rich pool (of bar)… we have to pick them (lawyers) young as they as. At the age of 49-50 years. They are young. Please consider them,” Hariharan said.

Hariharan further said that out of 47,000 advocates in the Delhi bar, only three members have been elevated since August 2024. He said that the perception remains that elevation from the bar is an exception rather than a general rule.

He said that while nobody was questioning the power of authority of the collegium or constitutional bodies, balance and fairness must be ensured in judicial appointments.

Further, Hariharan also flagged the issue of lack of adequate infrastructure, shortage of courtrooms and chambers, saying that the same has a direct bearing on the efficiency and pendency of litigation.

CJI Kant said that he acknowledges the arguments put forth by Hariharan and said that he is sure that the system will address the issues with time.

Other Supreme Court judges who were present in the even were Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Justice Aravind Kumar, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, Justice Prasanna Bhalachandra Varale, Justice Manmohan and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh.

Judges of the Delhi High Court also attended the function, including Chief Justice, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and ASG Chetan Sharma.