Delhi High Court Upholds Rule 9B: No Senior Advocate Designation for Retired Judicial Officers from Other States
Delhi High Court Upholds Rule 9B: No Senior Advocate Designation for Retired Judicial Officers from Other States By Abhishek Jat, Advocate The Delhi High Court, in a recent ruling, reaffirmed the validity of Rule 9B of the High Court of Delhi Designation of Senior Advocate Rules, 2024. The decision effectively restricts the eligibility for Senior Advocate designation to retired judicial officers exclusively from the Delhi Higher Judicial Service (DHJS), thereby excluding their counterparts from other states. This verdict was delivered by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela in the case of Vijai Pratap Singh v. Delhi High Court, W.P.(C) 2045/2025 , decided on March 27, 2025. Background of the Case The petitioner, a retired judicial officer with extensive experience in the Uttar Pradesh Higher Judicial Service (HJS), challenged Rule 9B on the grounds of arbitrariness and discrimination. He contended that the rule c...