New Delhi
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Monday recused himself from hearing a PIL seeking abolition of designation of advocates as ‘senior advocates’.

The petition alleged that the system created an “elite class” consisting of kith and kin.“I do not want to be part of the bench,” Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi told advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, who represented petitioner National Lawyers’ Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reform.

A Bench headed by Justice Gogoi on October 12, 2017 had delivered a judgment laying down guidelines for the Supreme Court and 25 High Courts for designating lawyers as ‘senior advocates’. It had ordered setting up of a committee headed by the CJI, which would be assisted by a secretariat to handle the issue.

The petitioner has demanded that the 2017 verdict should be reconsidered, contending that vesting the ultimate power in the matter of designation of lawyers as ‘senior advocates’ with the Full Court of the top court or the Full Court of high courts went against independence of the Bar.

However, it said for the time being lawyers who have crossed the age of 62 and have been actively practising at the Bar for more than 35 years, be designated as senior advocates.

The plea claimed that the system of designation of lawyers as “senior” led to their classification of lawyers into two classes “elite class” which consisted of the kith and kin and juniors of sitting and former judges and those politically connected; and the “first generation” lawyers.

The plea said till the system was abolished, only those advocates who have crossed the age of 62 years and have been in practice for 35 years be designated as “senior”.The 2017 verdict had ordered setting up of a committee headed by the CJI, which would be assisted by a secretariat.

Disposing four petitions, including one filed by senior advocate Indira Jaising, the bench had, in its 112-page judgement, laid down as many as 11 guidelines to effectively deal with the process of designating lawyers as seniors.