SCBA And SCAORA Object To Proposed Workstations For New Lawyers In SC Building Expansion Plan

In a letter addressed to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) have objected to the allocation of 1600 workstations for new lawyers in the upcoming Supreme Court expansion building.

The letter, signed by SCBA President Kapil Sibal and SCAORA President Vipin Nair urges reconsideration of the proposed space utilization to meet requirement of chambers for lawyers who have been waiting for years for chamber allotment.

“We were, however, somewhat surprised to learn that approximately 1,600 workstations are to be constructed, which will be allotted to incoming young lawyers at the Bar. We were hoping that this space would be used for accommodating the dire need of the existing Senior Advocates, Advocates-on-Record and Non-Advocate-On-Record, who are practicing in this Court and waiting for years for the allotment of chambers”, the letter reads.

The letter, dated October 17, 2024, refers to a meeting held on September 18, 2024, between the Building & Precinct Supervisory Committee (BPSC) of the Judges and executive members of both associations.

During this meeting, the Chief Architect of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) presented plans for the construction of additional courtrooms, arbitration courts, mediation rooms, conference rooms, a cafeteria, a library, and bar lounges on the newly acquired 1.92 acres of land at Ring Road, IP Estate.

The letter highlighted that 687 applicants are currently on the waiting list for chamber allotments, with potential for up to 1,500 more applications in the near future.

The letter also referred to the case of Supreme Court Bar Association v. Ministry of Urban Development, in which the SCBA had sought the conversion of additional land into a Chamber Block for lawyers, citing the exponential increase in the number of practicing advocates in the Supreme Court and the insufficiency of existing chambers. The 1.92 acres of land, acquired with the proactive support of the Supreme Court, was intended to address this shortage, the letter states.

SCBA and SCAORA requested that the 1,600 workstations for young lawyers be relocated to other parts of the Supreme Court premises. They have sought for the space reserved for workstations to be converted into single-member chambers for waiting lawyers.