This Article is From Jul 26, 2022

"Had 120 Sq Ft Chamber": Justice Chandrachud To Lawyers On Chamber Sharing Row

Recently, the Supreme Court's administrative branch has come out with a list of 468 lawyers who would be allotted chambers on a twin-sharing basis.

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India News

"As an Additional Solicitor General, I had a chamber of 120 square feet", Justice Chandrachud recalled.

New Delhi:

Supreme Court judge Justice D Y Chandrachud on Monday recalled he had a 120 sq ft chamber in Mumbai when he was an Additional Solicitor General, after several lawyers raised grievances against twin-sharing allotment of chambers at the Supreme Court premises.

Justice Chandrachud reminisced about the small size of the chamber in Mumbai from where he used to function, as a bench headed by him permitted the advocates, who are against allotment of lawyers' chambers at the Supreme Court premises here on a twin-sharing basis, to submit a representation before a judges' committee which is overseeing the process. The advocates have submitted that the chamber rooms are too small to be shared.

The bench observed that a committee presided by the senior-most judge of the court is overseeing the allotment of chambers and if there is some grievance of any segment of the Bar, they can make a representation to the panel.

The bench also comprising A S Bopanna said the moment one says single allotment, half of the lawyers will get allotment, and half of them go out.

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"Frankly saying, anything we do is always going to hurt a segment of the Bar." Justice Chandrachud observed that there are lawyers, who have been given allotment after 40 years, and also those who are waiting for a long period.

"As an Additional Solicitor General, I had a chamber of 120 square feet. That was Mumbai," Justice Chandrachud recalled.

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The counsel appearing for the petitioners said the chamber to be allotted to the lawyers is too small to be shared.

The top court told the petitioners to submit a representation to the committee.

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"We accordingly permit the petitioners and any of the other parties, who are before the court, to submit a written representation before the committee," the bench said and posted the matter after two weeks.

Recently, the Supreme Court's administrative branch has come out with a list of 468 lawyers who would be allotted chambers on a twin-sharing basis.

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Last week, when a petition concerning the allotment of chambers to lawyers was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana, the CJI observed, "We used to stand under the tree. You are fortunate to get chambers." Recalling his days as a lawyer, the CJI had said that getting a place for practicing advocacy is a "big favour".

"I can tell you, nowhere in the country, except Delhi, you get chambers," Justice Ramana had observed.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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