Senior advocate and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Vikas Singh, who had a verbal spat with Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in open court earlier this year, told Moneycontrol that he continues to share a good relationship with the CJI.
He said, “CJI DY Chandrachud and I have always been good friends and we are still good friends. There has never been any personal issue between us, it was more an institutional issue.” Singh noted that he did not appear in the case for any client nor did he have any personal interest in it, he remarked that he did it for his brethren in the bar.
The spat
In March 2023, CJI DY Chandrachud and Singh engaged in a verbal spat in the open court over the latter mentioning a plea seeking land for lawyers’ chambers for urgent listing, noting that it had not been heard despite being listed a few times earlier. The exchange saw the CJI telling Singh that he would not let himself be browbeaten. Singh had mentioned the case as the plea demanding the construction of lawyers’ chambers in the 1.33-acre land behind the petrol pump near ITO.
Singh hailed CJI for being a calm judge and not the kind of person who loses his cool in the court the way he did. He noted that the CJI may have had many reasons for doing so the other day. Elaborating on the incident, Singh noted that the CJI and he had a cordial meeting after the incident. He said, “The CJI later told me that he was not listing the case because he was trying to take a holistic view of the institution for the next 50 years and wanted to consider the needs of the bar in a larger picture.”
Noting that it was merely a communication gap between CJI and him, Singh elaborated that the CJI later constituted a special bench to hear SCBA’s case and passed a judgment asserting that the needs of the bar must be considered before commencing the development of any project. Singh said, “This is a huge victory as the bar was never consulted in the last 70 years. Now the bar needs to be consulted by a judicial order.”
CJI’s Independence Day announcement
Singh, a three-time president of SCBA, hailed CJI’s decision to expand the Supreme Court’s infrastructure. He said, “This is a huge victory for the bar. I have only one term remaining, I will now contest for my next term when the new building is constructed.”
In his Independence Day speech, CJI Chandrachud announced the plan to expand the infrastructure of the Supreme Court. The CJI said that a new building would be constructed to accommodate 27 additional courts, 51 judges’ chambers, four registrar courtrooms, 16 registrar chambers and other requisite facilities for lawyers and litigants.
The plan also includes offices for the President, Vice-President, and Secretary of SCBA and The Supreme Court Advocates-On-Record Association (SCAORA), SCBA Executive Meeting Room, Canteen, Ladies Bar Room and other requisite facilities for lawyers and litigants.
Role of the bar in the administration of justice
Singh noted that the role of the bar should not be restricted to praising judges in speeches or holding farewells for retiring judges. He said, “The bar should always stand up for its members. It should have a voice in the affairs of the administration of justice. The bar must point out if something is wrong in the system as the judges always take notice of what the bar says.”
The senior advocate, who led the SCBA during the pandemic, noted that it was a humbling experience as many of the members of the bar suffered quite a bit. Speaking of how the pandemic impacted lawyers economically, Singh said, “I know many lawyers who took to driving auto rickshaws because they could not earn money in the profession at that time.” SCBA played a significant role in supporting lawyers during the pandemic by arranging hospital beds and oxygen supply during the second wave. It had also arranged for vaccination for lawyers, their families and their staff.
About Vikas Singh
Though Singh wanted to be a lawyer from the very start of his profession, he took up a job at Steel Authorities of India Ltd for 9 years before starting his law practice in 1990. He was designated as a senior advocate in 2004 and was made the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) the very next year.
Singh has appeared in many types of cases over the last 33 years and is known for his outspoken nature.
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