Following a rigorous selection process that prioritized including an unprecedented number of women, first-generation lawyers, and subject matter experts to bestow the prestigious gown on a diverse set of legal practitioners, the Supreme Court on Friday bestowed the designation of “senior advocate” on 56 distinguished lawyers.
The list of 56 attorneys, including 11 women and 34 first-generation attorneys, was made public by the top court administration on Friday afternoon. The attorneys were selected for this designation by the CDSA, which is led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud. The other members of the CDSA included attorney general R Venkataramani, senior advocate Kiran Suri (a nominated member of the Bar), and two of the most senior judges, Sanjiv Khanna and Bhushan R Gavai.
Despite the fact that the committee received over 280 applications for the designation, only 199 of them were invited to meet with the CDSA members on January 16. The committee met with the applicants for more than six hours during the day.
“An unprecedented number of women lawyers – 11, have been designated as senior advocates this year. It is more than all the women senior advocates, who have been given the designation till date, put together,” said the people aforementioned.
The CDSA added “the idea was to send a message that the structure of the legal profession is changing and that those without access to the corridors of power in the Supreme Court have equal opportunities.”
Advocate Shobha Gupta, who represented Bilkis Bano in the Supreme Court, Karuna Nundy, who has represented clients in same-sex marriage and marital rape cases, and Swarupama Chaturvedi, who has represented multiple state governments and the national child rights organization, were among the female attorneys on the list.
“Diversified allotment of the senior advocate gown was at the centre of the process,” stated the previously mentioned individuals, noting that pro-bono work was also given a lot of weight. Among the attorneys named on Friday were advocates Gaurav Agrawal and S Janani, who have helped the court on a number of occasions both as amicus curiae and pro bono attorneys.
Six lawyers were chosen despite being younger than 45, which is the minimum age required by the CDSA’s rules for designation, which may be lowered in certain circumstances. On the list of attorneys under 45 who were recognized as senior advocates were Ardhendumauli Kumar Prasad, Shailesh Madiyal, Saurabh Mishra, Nikhil Goel, Shikhil Suri, and Archana Pathak Dave.
The last time the Supreme Court appointed attorneys was in December 2021.
