Nithyakalyani Narayanan. V
On September 14th, the Supreme Court imposed ₹ 2,000 as costs on an Advocate-on-Record for sending an “unprepared” junior to court in his place to seek an adjournment.
The junior lawyer went before a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Manoj Misra and asked them to defer the case because the senior advocate wasn’t available. The Court demanded, “You can’t take us for granted like this. There are infrastructural costs involved in the functioning of the court. Start arguing.”
The junior advocate explained to the court that he was unaware of the case and had no instructions whatsoever to argue on the matter.
Taking exception, the Court held, “We are under instructions to hear the case from the Constitution. Please call the advocate on record. Ask him to appear before us.”
When the AOR appeared before the Court via video conferencing and apologised, the Court questioned his action of sending a junior to the hearing without any paper and knowledge of the case.
The Court ordered, “A junior was sent unprepared without any papers. When we declined to grant an adjournment, the advocate on record appeared. Matters cannot be conducted in this manner. This is doing a disservice to both the court and to the junior who is made to appear without any paper.
The Bench further added, “The advocate on record shall deposit costs of ₹ 2,000 to the Supreme Court Bar Association and produce receipt of the same.”