Ranjeet Kumar Thakur v. UOI & ORS.

$~3 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 13188/2024 & CM APPL. 57532/2024 RANJEET KUMAR THAKUR .....Petitioner Through:

Mr. Krishan Murari and Mr. Naresh Kumar, Advocates with Petitioner in person.

versus UOI & ORS.

.....Respondents Through:

Ms. Nidhi Raman, CGSC with Mr.

Zubin Singh, Ms. Rashi Kapoor and Ms. Seema Singh, Advocates for R-1.

Mr. Preet Pal Singh, Mr. Madhukar Pandey, Mr. Unmukt Bhardwaj, Ms.

Tanupreet Kaur and Ms. Akanksha Singh, Advocates for R-2.

Mr.

T.

Singhdev, Mr.

Tanishq Srivastava, Mr. Abhijit Chakravarty, Mr. Sourabh Kumar and Ms. Anum Hassain, Advocates for R-3/ BCD.

Mr. Tushar Sannu, Mr. Sahaj Karan Singh and Mr. Manoviraj Singh, Advocates for R-5 & 6.

Mr. O. N. Sharma, Hony. Secretary, N.D.B.A.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SANJEEV NARULA

O R D E R

% 30.09.2024 1.

The Petitioner, a practicing advocate and member of the New Delhi Bar Association, is aggrieved by the exclusion of his name in orders The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

rendered by the Patiala House Court, where he appeared as an advocate. Despite several attempts to get his appearance recorded, the District Courts continue to omit the name of the Petitioner from the order sheets. 2.

Mr. Tushar Sannu, counsel for Respondents No. 5 and 6, submits a copy of the report obtained from Principal District and Sessions Judge, Patiala House Court, indicates that the Judges in Patiala House Court are recording the attendance of the counsel in order sheets. 3.

Court has noted the facts and contentions of the parties and finds merits in the contentions of the Petitioner. The crux of the issue highlighted in the present petition relates to the need to formalize the practice of recording the names of advocates representing parties in court proceedings. Such records serve as acknowledgment of an advocate's attendance and participation in the hearings and also forms the foundation for the eligibility requirement for allotment of chambers in district courts. Furthermore, court appearances are often a prerequisite for eligibility in District Bar Association elections, whether as candidates or voters. The apparent absence of a uniform protocol across District Courts in this regard, calls for immediate rectification.

The Court, therefore, deems it necessary to intervene, issuing appropriate directions to standardize this practice across all District Courts in Delhi. This would streamline the submission of names of advocates present during court proceedings, an accurate and consistent record across all District Courts which will further ensure transparency and protect professional interests of advocates.

4.

Accordingly, the present petition is disposed of with a direction to the Principal District and Sessions Judge (Headquarters) to issue necessary instructions to all District Courts, ensuring that the appearances of advocates The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

appearing before the court are properly recorded in the order sheets. To facilitate this process, a mechanism similar to the 'drop-box' system for advocates appearing in person, or the 'chat box' used in video conferencing hearings at the High Court of Delhi, could be implemented. 5.

With the above directions, the present petition, along with pending application, is disposed of.

SANJEEV NARULA, J SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 d.negi The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.