The Supreme Court emphasized its earlier directive requiring advocates-on-record (AoRs) to ensure that only authorized lawyers, scheduled to appear and argue in a case on a specific day, are marked as appearing. This measure aims to maintain clarity and accountability in court proceedings.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court announced that it will deliver a ruling next week regarding the Supreme Court Bar Association’s (SCBA) request to modify a previous order. This order stipulates that only lawyers authorized to argue a case may mark their appearance, excluding those who merely assist the arguing counsel.
During the hearing, Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma listened to SCBA President Kapil Sibal, who urged the Court to permit advocates-on-record (AoRs) to record the appearances of all lawyers involved in a case, regardless of whether they are arguing it.
However, the Court initially expressed reservations, stating,
“But how can we allow appearance of lawyers coming with other lawyers? No, no modification.”
Justice Trivedi remarked that the names of lawyers can sometimes extend over ten pages, while the order itself is Short.
Sibal acknowledged this point, agreeing that the Bar is addressing the issue. He emphasized the importance of recognizing lawyers who contribute behind the scenes, such as those preparing petitions and written submissions, even if they do not argue in court.
The Court responded,
“Yes, we must see them,”
And confirmed that it will issue its orders next week.
This matter traces back to a September 2020 directive, where the Court instructed the CBI to investigate a case involving a litigant who denied filing a special leave petition (SLP) and claimed he hadn’t hired any lawyers.
This prompted the Court to enforce strict guidelines requiring AoRs to mark the appearance of only those lawyers authorized to appear and argue for that specific case on a given day.
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