SC pulls up lawyer for 'scurrilous' charges against judges

The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up a lawyer for seeking quashing of the recent designation of 70 lawyers as 'senior advocates' by the Delhi High Court on the ground that relatives of judges have been favoured in the process.

"How many judges can you name whose offspring have been made seniors? This is a court of law and not a Boat Club or Azaad Maidan of Bombay to make speeches. Make legal arguments. Not the arguments only for the gallery,” a Bench led by Justice BR Gavai told advocate Mathews J Nedumpara.

“We find that various scurrilous, unfounded allegations have been made against the institution (judiciary),” it said.

“Are you going to delete these averments or not? Be very clear whether you are going to carry on with these scurrilous averments or not,” the Bench asked the petitioners and gave them four weeks to clarify their stand.

“If you do not amend the petition, we may take such steps as we find necessary,” it said.

Challenging Sections 16 and 23(5) of the Advocates Act which created two classes of lawyers — senior advocates and other advocates, the petitioners contended that in actual practice it has resulted in an unthinkable catastrophe and inequities which Parliament certainly would not have contemplated.

The classification of lawyers into two categories and conferring a minority with “favours and privileges” was against the concept of equality and the ethos of the Constitution, they alleged.