Today, On 13th May, The Supreme Court has issued new guidelines for Senior Advocate designations, removing the marking system. It affirmed that the minimum qualification of 10 years of practice for designation needs no reconsideration.
Justice B.V. Nagarathna voiced concern that the Supreme Court is increasingly burdened with minor matters, forcing it to function like a family or bail court instead of focusing on truly significant constitutional issues.
The Supreme Court of India expressed concern over nearly 7 lakh pending criminal appeals across high courts, especially noting the severe under-staffing in the Allahabad High Court, which currently operates with only 79 of its sanctioned 160 judges. The court urged the central government to expedite judicial appointments for timely justice delivery.
Former Supreme Court judge Jasti Chelameswar said that if courts can cancel laws made by Parliament for being unconstitutional, then they also have the right to tell public officials to do their legal duties.
Between 2018 and 2022, a total of 540 judges were appointed to various High Courts across India, according to the Law Ministry. Data reveals that 80% of these appointees belonged to upper castes. This highlights a significant caste imbalance in judicial appointments during the period. The figures have sparked discussions on diversity and representation in the judiciary.
Former Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna warned that human rights in India are facing a “deep crisis” due to the massive backlog of over five crore pending cases. Speaking at a national convention, he emphasized that delayed justice amounts to a denial of justice. He also expressed concerns over threats to judicial independence and freedom of expression. His remarks highlight growing challenges in India’s legal and judicial system.
The Central government of India has appointed four lawyers as judges of the Rajasthan High Court following a recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium. The appointees include Anand Sharma, Sunil Beniwal, Sandeep Shah, and Mukesh Rajpurohit, while three other candidates remain unapproved. Rajasthan High Court currently has 34 of 50 sanctioned judges.
NEW DELHI: Today, 19th March, The Supreme Court of India is re-evaluating its 2017 ruling in Indira Jaising v. Supreme Court, which had established guidelines for designating lawyers as Senior Advocates. A special bench comprising Justices AS Oka, Ujjal Bhuyan, and SVN Bhatti is hearing the matter, with Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta appearing for the Supreme Court’s administrative side.
Bengaluru: Former Supreme Court judge, Justice Indira Banerjee, emphasized the urgent need for a complete shift in mindset to enable more women to rise to higher positions in the judiciary. She shared her insights during a fireside chat on Saturday with Jayna Kothari, Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR).
NEW DELHI: Today (11th Feb): The Supreme Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), which is associated with the CPI. The PIL raised concerns about the rising incidents of mob lynching and violence, especially by cow vigilantes. The Bench, led by Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, referred to its previous ruling in the case of Tehseen Poonawalla v. Union of India and stated that while the ruling is binding on all authorities, the Court cannot oversee or monitor such incidents in every part of the country.
