Keep old legal panels for 6 weeks after change of govt, SC tells states

New Delhi: States and union territories have the power to change their empanelled advocates, but while doing so they must ensure that the court’s functioning is not adversely affected, the Supreme Court has said.

While changing the panel of advocates, the states should continue the old panel for at least six weeks so that the courts are not forced to grant adjournments. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that after the change of power from one political party to another, the states/union territories are changing their panel of advocates appearing in the court.

Therefore, this court is required to grant adjournments from time to time on the grounds of change, it said.

“It is true that the states/union territories have power to change their empanelled advocates, but while doing so, they must ensure that the court’s functioning is not adversely affected. The observation by the bench came while hearing a plea filed by a man seeking bail in a case of cheating

and 120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 read with Sections 3, 4, 6, 9 and 10 of the Uttar Pradesh Public Examination Act, 1988.