Lawyers' fraternity opposes SC collegium decision on age bar

The lawyers' fraternity here has opposed the Supreme Court collegium's reported decision to fix the advoactes' upper age to 55 to consider them for appointment as high court judges.
In a letter to the Chief Justice of India, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association President Harpreet Singh Brar urged him to revise or modify the "anti-lawyer" decision.
"A representation has been received in the office of Punjab and Haryan High Court Bar Association from the members of the Bar regarding issue of anti-lawyers decision on age bar taken in MoP and approved by the Supreme Court," Brar said in his letter written on March 24, 2017.

He said the Constitution does not make provision for an age bracket.
"In this regard, Article 124 and 217 do not fix any age bar in regard to appointment of judges," he added.
The upper age limit for appointment of lawyers as judges has been fixed at 55 years and that for Judicial Officers 58.5 years, he said.

It is not only against the Constitution as no age bar is fixed but also puts the lawyers at lower pedestal and less deserving and meritorious, he said.
The discrimination of the age-bar between lawyers and Judicial Officers is unfair and discriminatory, he said.

He said elevation to the Bench is not done every year and, at times, for years together which scuttles the opportunities for lawyers for consideration for elevation to the Bench.