'If HC Makes You Senior, We Will Set It Aside' : Supreme Court Pulls Up Lawyer For Repeated Pleas Over Delhi HC Senior Designations

The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up a lawyer who has been filing repeated applications against the Delhi High Court in relation to senior designations.

The lawyer, appearing in person, submitted that it was the third time he was approaching the Court. He submitted that the High Court has failed to comply with the Supreme Court's earlier direction to reconsider the deferred or rejected applications expeditiously.

Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao, for the High Court, informed the bench that the interviews for the senior designation process are currently underway.

Expressing unhappiness with the petition, CJI Surya Kant observed, "The whole world might be eligible for senior designation, but at least you are not. If the High Court makes you senior, we will set it aside, seeing your professional conduct."

Justice Bagchi asked the lawyer, "You have no other litigation, Sir? Apart from ensuring your senior designation? Is this the standing of a person who is expecting a senior designation?"

"You file contempt, then application!" CJI Kant said.

The CJI dictated an order stating that the petitioner does not deserve any senior designation, as he was filing frivolous petitions. The lawyer then expressed apologies and requested that the order be withdrawn.

Justice Bagchi said that senior designation was a recognition which is conferred by the Court and not to be pursued.

The CJI said that he was waiting for an appropriate case to order a CBI investigation into the LL.B degrees of many Delhi advocates, who are posting many things on social media. "I have serious doubts about the genuineness of their law degrees...the things they are posting in Facebook YouTube etc, do they think we are not watching?"

After the lawyer profusely apologised, the bench recalled the order. The CJI said that there were enough "parasites" in society who are attacking the judiciary, and said that lawyers should not join hands with them.

"There are already parasites of society who attack the system and you want to join hands with them? There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don't get any employment and don't have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, some of them become RTI activists, some of them become other activists, and they start attacking everyone...and you people file contempt petitions!" CJI said.

The lawyer said that he is very serious about the profession, and his five other cases are listed today in the Supreme Court itself. "Pursue that," Justice Bagchi told him. "Senior advocate status is something which is conferred, not pursued. Does it look proper that you pursue till the end of the world to get senior designation status?"

The bench ultimately dismissed the application as withdrawn.

The lawyer had last year filed a writ petition challenging the Delhi High Court's refusal to consider him for senior designation. Later, he filed a contempt petition, alleging that the High Court did not comply with an earlier direction of the Supreme Court. In December last year, the Supreme Court had dismissed his contempt petition.