The Punjab and Haryana High Court, through its October 20, 2025 notification, has designated 76 advocates as Senior Advocates under Section 16(2) of the Advocates Act, 1961, acknowledging their legal expertise and distinguished standing at the Bar.
The High Court of Punjab and Haryana, in a notification dated October 20, 2025, has conferred the title of Senior Advocate upon 76 practitioners.
This designation, granted under Section 16(2) of the Advocates Act, 1961, is effective as of October 16, 2025. It recognizes advocates for their distinguished standing at the Bar, as well as their specialized knowledge or experience in law.
The notification, issued by the Registrar General under the authority of the Hon’ble Chief Justice and Judges, includes an important requirement for the newly designated Senior Advocates.
Each must undertake 10 ‘Free Legal Aid’ cases pro bono annually, ensuring that their legal expertise contributes to serving the justice needs of underprivileged individuals.
The list of newly appointed Senior Advocates includes:
- SH. RAJ KUMAR SHARMA
- SH. ASHIT MALIK
- SH. RANJAN KUMAR HANDA
- SH. RAVI SODHI
- SH. ANIL MALHOTRA
- SH. NARESHINDER SINGH BOPARAI
- SH. JAGDISH MANCHANDA
- SH. AMIT SETHI
- SH. AJNEESH RAJ TAKKAR
- SH. SUDEEP MAHAJAN
- SH. JASDEEP SINGH TOOR
- SH. SARTEJ SINGH NARULA
- SH. MANISH JAIN
- SH. SUKHJINDER SINGH BEHL
- SH. SUKANT GUPTA
- SH. INDER PAL SINGH DOABIA
- SH. VIKAS SINGH
- SH. ADARSH KUMAR JAIN
- SH. GURPREET SINGH
- SH. KAMAL SEHGAL
- SH. YOGESH PUTNEY
- SH. ASHU MOHAN PUNCHHI
- SH. SANJIV GUPTA
- SH. JASDEEP SINGH GILL
- SH. DEEPENDER SINGH
- SH. MANSUR ALI
- SH. SUNIL KUMAR SINGH PANWAR
- SH. RAJ KUMAR (R.K. ARORA)
- SH. LOKESH SINHAL
- SH. MANDEEP SINGH SACHDEV
- SH. ARVIND MOUDGIL
- SH. SATWANT SINGH RANGI
- SH. ASHWANI KUMAR TALWAR
- SH. VIKAS CHATRATH
- SH. PARDEEP SINGH (POONIA)
- SH. HEMANT BASSI
- SH. PAWAN GIRDHAR
- SH. GAUTAM DUTT
- SH. AMARDEEP SINGH (ADS SUKHIJA)
- SH. PREMJIT SINGH (HUNDAL)
- SH. ANURAG GOYAL
- SH. SANT PAL SINGH SIDHU
- MS. PROMILA NAIN
- SH. VIPIN MAHAJAN
- SH. GURBINDER SINGH DHILLON @ G.B.S DHILLON
- MS. MONICA CHHIBBER
- SH. SARJU PURI
- SH. KARAMBIR SINGH NALWA
- SH. AMAN BAHRI
- MS. PUJA SHARMA (PUJA CHOPRA)
- SH. SALIL DEV SINGH BALI
- SH. SUNISH BINDLISH
- SH. PANKAJ
- SH. PARMINDER SINGH SHEKHON
- SH. NAVDEEP SINGH
- SH. RAJEEV ANAND
- SH. SANDEEP GOYAL
- SH. ANKUR MITTAL
- SH. RAVINDER SINGH RANDHAWA
- SH. GAURAV MOHUNTA
- SH. JASDEV SINGH MEHNDIRATTA
- SH. PRADEEP VIRK
- SH. KUNAL DAWAR
- SH. RAHUL SHARMA
- SH. DHEERAJ JAIN
- MS. DIVYA SHARMA
- SH. RAVINDER MALIK @ RAVINDER MALIK (RAVI)
- SH. SARJIT BHADU
- SH. SUNIL KUMAR NEHRA
- SH. CHANCHAL KUMAR SINGLA
- SH. MANINDER SINGH
- SH. AMAN PAL
- SH. KSHITIJ SHARMA
- MS. PUNEET KAUR SEKHON
- SH. PREET INDER SINGH (AHLUWALIA)
- SH. AKSHAY KUMAR JINDAL
Copies of this notification have been sent to the Supreme Court of India, all other High Courts, the Bar Council of India, the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association for their information.
The notification will also be published in the official gazettes of Punjab, Haryana, and UT Chandigarh.
The senior advocate designation is a special recognition given to lawyers in India for their exceptional ability, experience, and standing in the legal profession. Under Section 16 of the Advocates Act, 1961, advocates are classified into two categories Senior Advocates and Other Advocates.
A Senior Advocate is one who, in the opinion of the court, has demonstrated outstanding legal expertise and professional integrity. This distinction is conferred by the Supreme Court or any High Court, usually after evaluating the advocate’s legal knowledge, years of practice, contribution to the development of law, and reputation in the bar.
Once designated, a Senior Advocate is expected to maintain a higher standard of conduct and decorum. They cannot file vakalatnamas directly or interact with clients for procedural matters; instead, they must be briefed through another advocate. The role mainly involves presenting arguments and assisting the court on points of law.
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