Supreme Court Directs Registry To Consider SCAORA's Suggestion For Regular Open Houses To Address Case Filing Issues

The Supreme Court today (February 20) directed the Registry to take action on the Supreme Court Advocates'-On-Record Association's (SCAORA) suggestion to hold regular Open House sessions to discuss process adopted by the Registry regarding verifying newly filed cases.

A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih made these observations in a judgment establishing guidelines for the conduct of Advocates-on-Record and highlighting concerns over process of appointment of Senior Advocates.

SCAORA argued that there is no written handbook containing instructions on the process of checking and verifying newly filed cases. According to the Association, the norms and criteria for this process are subject to frequent changes at the discretion of the Registry officials, leading to delays in case listings.

“Therefore, the suggestion of the Association is that the Secretary-General or Registrars should regularly organise Open Houses in which healthy discussions can take place on the processes adopted by the Registry. Perhaps this suggestion is welcome as there can be a constructive dialogue between the Association and the Registry for the purposes of clearing bottlenecks and ensuring early listing of all cases”, the Court observed.

The Court directed the Registrar (Judicial) to forward a copy of its order to the Secretary General of the Court along with the written submissions made by the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA).

“We direct the Registrar (Judicial) to forward a copy of this judgment to the Secretary General of the Court with a direction to forward the written submissions made to him so that necessary remedial steps/action can be taken by him. We are sure that the members of the Registry will regularly interact with the office bearers of SCAORA and sort out the issues raised by the Association”, the Court stated.

The SCAORA presented various suggestions concerning the conduct of the examination for Advocates-on-Record and the processes involved in filing, registration, and verification of cases. They highlighted the need for a consistent approach in notifying deficiencies and objections in filed cases, emphasizing the need to clear bottlenecks in case registration and verification to facilitate early listing of cases.

To improve communication and streamline processes, SCAORA proposed regular "Open Houses" to foster active interaction between Advocates-on-Record and Registry officials. These sessions would clarify doubts and address procedural bottlenecks in filing, registration, and verification of cases. SCAORA emphasized the importance of such measures, pointing out that changes in norms and criteria by the Registry without prior notice have caused significant delays, resulting in some matters becoming infructuous.

The Association also raised concerns about the sequencing system introduced in the Supreme Court, which determines the order of case hearings. SCAORA contended that the sequencing system has disrupted the smooth functioning of hearings, leaving Advocates-on-Record with limited time to prepare and plan their case boards. Citing deficient internet services in the court complex as a contributing factor, SCAORA suggested discontinuing the sequencing system in the interest of the justice delivery system.

SCAORA made suggestions on the code of conduct for Advocates-on-Record and the process for senior advocate designation. The Court took up these issues in a case arising out of false statements and the suppression of material facts made by a Senior Advocate in multiple remission pleas.

Case no. – Petition for Special Leave to Appeal (Crl.) No. 4299/2024

Citation : 2025 LiveLaw (SC) 232

Case Title – Jitender @ Kalla v. State (Govt.) of NCT of Delhi & Anr.

Click Here To Read/Download Judgment