New Delhi, June 13
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Vikas Singh on Sunday issued a clarification on his statement that lawyers practising at the Supreme Court are “more meritorious”, saying his limited purpose was to press for their elevation as high court judges.
The senior advocate said that in his letter to Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana, he had raised the long-pending demand of apex court lawyers.
“Reference to the SC lawyers being ‘more meritorious’ in my letter to the CJI was for the limited purpose of ensuring their consideration for elevation by the HC collegiums on equal footing basis and there was no intention whatsoever to cast any aspersion on the lawyers practicing in the different HCs,” Singh said in a press statement.
His clarification assumes significance as the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) had reacted to the SCBA’s letter to the CJI and sought withdrawal of such directions, if any, made by the CJI to HC chief justices.
The DHCBA wrote to the CJI against SCBA’s May 31 proposal to consider apex court lawyers for elevation as high court judges, saying the practice would be “unfair, arbitrary and discriminatory”, and would create resentment among high court lawyers.
The DHCBA had disapproved of Singh’s comment, calling it “not only false and misleading”, but also one that “undermines the competence and talent of lawyers practicing before the High Courts”.
The SCBA President, in his response, said, “I sincerely believe that every lawyer practicing in India is a citizen of India and therefore should be fairly considered for elevation on the basis of merit alone, no matter where he/she practices”.
The DHCBA’s letter urged the CJI to “withdraw such directives, if any, issued to the Chief Justices of High Courts” that the lawyers practicing in the apex court be considered for elevation as the high court judges at SCBA’s request.
