'Nobody Gets Better Treatment Because Of Senior Gown' : Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Delhi HC's Senior Designations

The Supreme Court on Friday (February 7) dismissed a petition filed by Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara challenging the decision of the Delhi High Court to confer senior designations on 70 advocates.

A bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran heard the matter.

Earlier, the Court had pulled up the petitioner for making allegations that senior designations are conferred based on nepotism and warned him of contempt action if those averments were not deleted from the petition.

Today, Justice Gavai said that no lawyer gets preferential treatment in the Supreme Court just because he has a senior gown.

"We don't see that anybody gets better treatment in this Court because he has a different gown," Justice Gavai said. Nedumpara however said that this was not the perception among the lawyers, especially juniors.

"My lawyer friends are fearful of the Court," Nedumpara said. "Lawyers must be fearless," Justice Gavai retorted.

Without further discussions, Justice Gavai said that the petition has been dismissed. "You better get elected to Parliament and get this(provision in the Advocates Act regarding senior advocates) removed...," Justice Gavai said in the passing. "I will pursue this," Nedumpara said.

Last week, the Court had dismissed another petition challenging the Delhi High Court's senior designations.

In 2023, the Supreme Court had dismissed an earlier writ petition filed by Mathews Nedumpara challenging the constitutionality of Section 16 of the Advocates Act - which provides the classification of advocates as Senior Advocates- and Section 23(5), which gives Senior Advocates the right to pre-audience.

Case Title: SHRI MATHEWS J. NEDUMPARA AND ORS. Versus THE FULL COURT OF THE HONBLE JUDGES OF THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AND ORS., Diary No. 60205-2024

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