SC judges’ sons object to inclusion in Punjab panel

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

Advocate sons of Supreme Court judges Ranjan Gogoi and AK Sikri on Wednesday took strong exception to inclusion of their names in the panel of advocates notified by the Punjab Government, saying their consent was never taken.

In identical letters addressed to Punjab's Special Secretary, Home and Justice and copied to Advocate General Atul Nanda, Justice Gogoi's son Raktim Gogoi and Justice Sikri's son Saket Sikri requested that their names be deleted from the list of empanelled advocates. The two advocates — empanelled by the government as A-4 Category counsel with per appearance fee of Rs35,000 — said they came to know about inclusion of their names in the list of empanelled lawyers for Punjab only through the media.

"I may place on record that neither had I applied for my empanelment nor my consent was taken before including my name in the said panel nor was I informed about the same…," Saket Sikri stated in his letter. Making a similar demand, Raktim Gogoi wrote: "It is fundamental that before inclusion of any counsel's name on any panel, his express consent is required to be taken."

The Amarinder Singh government had on March 30 issued a notification including "celebrity" lawyers and kin of judges as the state's empanelled lawyers to defend it before the SC and other courts outside Chandigarh. It had also increased per appearance fee for "category A-1" counsel from Rs2.5 lakh to Rs3.30 lakh.