BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra urges CJI Gavai to give opportunity to lawyers with no godfathers

Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra on Saturday said that lawyers with no godfathers in the legal profession should be given opportunity to become senior advocates and judges during the tenure of Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai..Mishra was speaking at a felicitation ceremony organized by the Bar Council of India (BCI) in New Delhi in the honour of the 52nd CJI."Common lawyers have great hope and expectation from you. During your tenure as Chief Justice of India, those who have no godfathers, who are not the wards of judges but who are deserving could also get chance to become judges and senior advocates. Merit and representation from all castes and all sections of society will be ensured," he said..Mishra described Justice Gavai’s appointment as one of historic significance, being the first CJI from the Buddhist community and only the second from the Scheduled Caste community."His appointment is one that carries historic significance... having a rural background from an agricultural family and being a first-generation lawyer, symbolizes India's progress towards inclusivity, equality, and the values of our Constitution. He holds a special and extremely important place in the hearts of lakhs of lawyers," he said.Mishra also said that Justice Gavai would always be an asset to the country and should not shy away from accepting post-retirement assignments."Days before being sworn as CJI, in an informal setting Justice Gavai told members of media that Constitution is supreme. He also made clear that he would not take any post-retirement assignments, but, sir, this is your opinion, if country needs your services even after retirement, you should not say 'no'," he said..Mishra described the backlog of over 81,000 cases in the Supreme Court and a large number of judicial vacancies in High Courts as the biggest challenges for the new CJI..Justice KV Viswanathan reveals how CJI Gavai departed from tradition to honour Justice Bela Trivedi.Commenting on the BCI’s recent move to allow entry of foreign lawyers and law firms in India, Mishra said, “We can’t compromise with the interest of our own lawyers. Only lawyers from countries where our lawyers practice will be allowed. The sole basis is reciprocity.”.Mishra also referred to Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA)'s decision to not hold a farewell for Justice Bela M Trivedi on her retirement. He said CJI Gavai had rightly expressed disapproval of the decision. Mishra also critiqued the alleged exclusion of "common lawyers" from the recent National Mediation Conference in Delhi. “Last week there was meeting of mediation of association. All the Chief Justice, several judges, Advocate generals, selected mediators were invited but common lawyers were kept away. Bar Council of India is of firm view that without the involvement of common lawyers if we think mediation would succeed then we are wrong,” he said. .CJI-designate BR Gavai reveals his priorities over the next 6 months [Read interview]