Chief Justice Gavai's Push for Junior Advocates to Lead Urgent Mentions

In a significant shift in courtroom protocol, Chief Justice of India B R Gavai has announced that senior advocates will no longer be permitted to mention cases for urgent listing and hearing in his court starting Monday, August 11, 2025. This move aims to provide junior lawyers with more opportunities to lead during proceedings.

Since taking office on May 14, Chief Justice Gavai has reinstated the practice of oral mentioning of cases, countermanding his predecessor Justice Sanjiv Khanna's strategy, which relied on written or emailed submissions. The CJI emphasized that this new practice will be confined to his court, but other judges are free to adopt it if they wish.

Typically, lawyers have approached the Chief Justice-led bench at the beginning of the day to mention their cases for an urgent hearing. This recent directive, however, excludes designated senior counsels, aligning with CJI Gavai's intent to spotlight junior advocates in these initial proceedings.

(With inputs from agencies.)