New Delhi, Dec 9 (NationPress) The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a contempt petition that accused the Delhi High Court of failing to comply with its April ruling concerning the senior advocate designation process.

The plea, submitted by advocate Sanjay Dubey, asserted that despite the mandatory directives issued by the apex court nine months prior, the Delhi High Court had not reassessed cases of advocates who were either denied or placed on hold during the 2024 senior designation cycle.

During the proceedings, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant commented that members of the Bar should avoid generating unnecessary litigation on such matters. “We expect the Bar to refrain from filing these types of petitions. The Chief Justice’s committee is fully informed,” stated the Bench, which also included Joymalya Bagchi.

The apex court noted that the majority of High Courts have either implemented or are in the process of revising their rules for senior designations in alignment with the Supreme Court’s decisions.

While dismissing the contempt petition, CJI Kant’s Bench remarked, “We have no reason to suspect that the High Court will delay compliance with the judgment.”

According to the petitioner, the Delhi High Court has not taken any steps to adhere to the Supreme Court’s April 15 ruling, which mandated the reconstitution of the Permanent Committee and the reevaluation of all deferred and rejected applications under the 2024 Senior Designation Rules.

The contempt plea pointed out that no actions have been initiated by the Delhi High Court to reconsider the applications of 302 candidates from the 2024 cycle.

It also highlighted the resignation of senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog from the Permanent Committee. The petition claimed that even though Nandrajog’s name was listed on the recommendation sheet, he neither signed nor endorsed the final list, indicating that “no committee existed according to the legal terms for designation.”