On May 13, 2025, the Supreme Court of India issued a significant judgment regarding the designation of Senior Advocates. The Court decided to discontinue the point-based assessment system previously established through the Indira Jaising judgments of 2017 and 2023. This system had assigned numerical values to various criteria such as years of practice, reported judgments, publications, and interviews.

A three-judge bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka, Ujjal Bhuyan, and SVN Bhatti emphasized the need for diversity and representation, particularly for lawyers practicing in trial courts. The Court directed that High Courts amend their existing rules within four months to align with the new guidelines.

The decision to confer Senior Advocate designation shall rest with the full court of the High Court or the Supreme Court.

Applications of all candidates deemed eligible by the permanent secretariat, along with relevant documents, shall be presented to the full court.

Efforts should be made to reach a consensus; if not possible, decisions must be made through democratic voting.

The minimum qualification of 10 years of practice, as per the Indira Jaising guidelines, remains unchanged.

Advocates may continue their practice while their applications are pending; the full court may also designate advocates without an application in exceptional cases.

Individual judges are prohibited from recommending candidates for Senior Advocate designation.

At least one Senior Advocate designation process should occur each calendar year.

Ongoing processes under the previous guidelines will continue until the new rules are implemented.

This decision marks a pivotal shift towards a more transparent and inclusive approach in the designation of Senior Advocates.

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