One advocate who never applied is among the 18 Senior Advocates named by the Kerala High Court: PS Sreedharan Pillai, former Mizoram and Goa Governor and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, was conferred the gown suo motu by consensus, alongside 17 applicants, at the Full Court meeting of November 11, 2026.
Kochi: The High Court of Kerala has conferred the designation of Senior Advocate on 18 lawyers, including advocate PS Sreedharan Pillai, whose designation was made suo motu under Rule 3(2) of the High Court of Kerala (Designation of Senior Advocates) Rules, 2026. The decision was taken at the Full Court meeting held on November 11, 2026, and notified by the Registry on November 13, 2026 [In Re: Designation of Senior Advocates, High Court of Kerala].
The notification on Pillai’s designation, issued “By Order” and signed by Registrar General Gopakumar G, records that the decision was taken by the Chief Justice and the Judges of the High Court of Kerala in the Full Court meeting.
Seventeen names from the applicant pool
At the same meeting, the senior gown was conferred, on their applications, on KT Thomas, Asok Mamen Cherian, Raghavendra Subraya Kalkura, Gopikrishnan Nambiar M, PM Asok Kumar, P Ramakrishnan, Babu Karukapadath, A Balagopalan, John Varghese, Manoj Kumar N, S Rajeev, John Sebastian Ralph V, Syam Kumar CR, Sreekumar G Chelur, Vinod Bhat S, PA Mohammed Shah and Hari Kumar G.
The eighteenth designation, made without an application
Pillai did not apply, unlike the other 17 lawyers. According to the notification, the Full Court acted in exercise of the powers under Section 16(2) of the Advocates Act, 1961 read with Rules 2 and 3(2) of the 2026 Rules, and decided as follows:
“… the Honorable the Chief Justice and the Honorable Judges of the High Court of Kerala, in the Full Court meeting held on 11.11.2026, by consensus, decided to confer the Designation of Senior Advocate to Adv.Sreedharan Pillai P.S. (K/306/1978) with effect from 11-11-2026.”
Rule 3(2) allows the Full Court to confer the designation by consensus on an advocate who, in its opinion, is a person of exceptional quality and eminence with special expertise in any field of law. The notification’s enrolment number indicates that Pillai enrolled in 1978. He practises largely in criminal law, and has served as State President of the BJP in Kerala and as Governor of Mizoram and Goa.
Copies of the notification
The notification on Pillai’s designation has been sent to the Secretary General of the Supreme Court, the Advocate General of Kerala, the Additional Solicitor General at the High Court, the Registrar Generals of all High Courts, the Bar Council of India, the Bar Council of Kerala, all State Bar Councils and the Bar Associations in the State, among others.
Two routes under the 2026 Rules
Senior designation remains one of the most closely watched administrative decisions of any High Court, and courts across the country have been revising their rules to make the process more structured. The Kerala High Court’s 2026 Rules keep two routes open: designation on application, and designation by the Full Court on its own where it finds exceptional eminence and expertise.
This round used both. Seventeen lawyers were assessed on their applications, while a single advocate received the gown under the suo motu power, by consensus of the Full Court.
Notification: High Court of Kerala, HCKL/3022/2026/D1-2(2)
Subject: Designation of Senior Advocate under Section 16(2), Advocates Act, 1961 read with Rules 2 and 3(2), High Court of Kerala (Designation of Senior Advocates) Rules, 2026
Decision: Full Court meeting of November 11, 2026, effective November 11, 2026
Date of Notification: November 13, 2026
Issued by: Gopakumar G, Registrar General
