Supreme Court imposes cost on advocate-on-record for letting a young junior appear without papers

While imposing a cost of ₹2,000 on the advocate-on-record, the Chief Justice of India Dr D.Y. Chandrachud remarked "We cannot be taken for granted like this".

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TODAY, a Supreme Court Bench imposed a cost of ₹2,000 on an advocate-on-record (AoR) for sending a young junior to appear before the Bench without any papers.

The Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr D.Y. Chandrachud and also comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Manoj Misra observed that such conduct was a disservice to the court as well as to the junior advocate.

When the matter was taken up in the first session, a junior advocate appeared and sought time to file a rejoinder.

The CJI insisted he argued the matter. However, the junior lawyer submitted that he had no instructions to argue and sought adjournment.

In addition, he did not have any papers related to the case.

An unrelenting CJI retorted that the court had instructions under the Constitution of India to go ahead with the matter. The junior again pleaded that he had no instructions.

The CJI then asked the junior whether he is a junior of an AoR, to which the junior answered in the negative and informed the court that "he is a junior of some senior".

"We cannot be taken for granted like this", the CJI remarked while summoning the AoR in the case.

When the matter was taken up again for hearing, yet another lawyer appeared on behalf of the AoR. The Bench was told that the AoR was not feeling well.

An anguished CJI asked the advocate who was appearing for the AoR whether this was the way a junior is to be trained.

The CJI then observed that the hearing could not be conducted in this fashion. He adjourned the matter for a week but not before imposing a cost on the AoR who remained absent during the hearing.