Rajasthan HC lawyers write to CJI against proposal on advocates' eleveation

Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Vikas Singh's proposal to consider apex court lawyers for elevation as high court judges is detrimental to the autonomy of HC collegiums and humiliating for the advocates practising in these courts, lawyers of the Rajasthan HC here said.

Taking objection to the proposal, the Rajasthan High Court Advocates' Association (RHCAA) has written to the chief justice of India (CJI), urging him not to consider it as it will lead to discrimination among advocates based on the courts where they practise.

The SCBA president had written to CJI N V Ramana on May 31.

On Sunday, Singh issued a clarification, saying his limited purpose behind the proposal was to press for the elevation of lawyers practising at the Supreme Court as high court judges. He added that he had only raised a long-pending demand of apex court lawyers.

Objecting to the proposal in his letter to the CJI, RHCAA president Nathu Singh Rathore said appointment of judges was an exclusive privilege of the high courts concerned.

"This proposal not only interferes with this privilege and this autonomy of the high courts, but also questions the talent and competence of advocates practising in the various high courts of the country," Rathore wrote.

The land of Rajasthan may be arid but it has no drought of talented and meritorious lawyers, he added.

The Rajasthan High Court has produced the finest of jurists, Rathore wrote, adding that many of them rose to become chief justices of various high courts and judges at the Supreme Court.

"One of them went on to serve as a judge at the International Court of Justice," he said.

With these assertions, the association appealed to the CJI not to accept the proposal of the SCBA under any circumstances.