SCBA requests SC to disallow senior advocates from making out of turn, fresh unlisted mentioning; demands that office reports be mailed to advocates

In a letter to the Secretary General of the Supreme Court of India, the Supreme Court Bar Association has requested to bring certain proposals to the notice of the Chief Justice of India. These proposals were agreed upon by the Executive Committee in its meeting held on 2^nd February, 2015.

The following proposals were resolved to be made:

“(a) Fresh urgent unlisted mentioning matter be placed before first Five Hon’ble Benches, based on subject matter allocation. 

(b) Senior Advocates must not be allowed to make such urgent, out of turn, fresh unlisted mentioning.”

The Committee also deliberated on the difficulty faced by lawyers and litigants on Mondays and Fridays, on account of tremendous rush in and outside court rooms, thereby affecting their smooth functioning. They hence proposed that on the hearing on these two miscellaneous days, 50 percent of the matters be fixed at the first session between 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM followed with lunch from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM and balance be listed post lunch.

According to the SCBA, this would “not only help in decongesting the Supreme Court premises and court rooms, facilitating easy movement and accessibility, but will also help lawyers in being able to pay proper attention in presenting their mattes before the Hon’ble Court, to better help Administration of Justice.”

Appreciating the efforts of the Registry in discontinuing the practice of printing and rolling out hard copies of judgments and cause lists, the SCBA has demanded that the Office Report is also updated and emailed to the advocates. Further, all the old cause lists are also requested to be uploaded on the Supreme Court website as Archive Cause Lists as well as preserved in binded form year-wise, from the SCBA library.

The CJI’s suggestion to provide a crèche for the children of lawyers practicing in the Court as well as the staff members of Registry has been appreciated by the SCBA.

The SCBA has requested that the Ladies Bar Room should be expanded, with the request being approved at an early date so that appropriate work can take place in the vacations in June, 2015.

Read the letter, available as a Facebook post here.