J&K High Court lawyers call for nationwide protest against Supreme Court's district judge Bar quota verdict

The Jammu & Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Jammu (JKHCBAJ) has resolved to launch a nationwide protest against the recent Supreme Court judgment allowing judicial officers with seven years of experience as lawyers to be appointed as district judges under the Bar quota, saying that it has “serious, far-reaching consequences” for the legal profession.

The decision came during a meeting of the Executive Committee held at the High Court Bar Hall, Jammu, presided over by President and Senior Advocate Nirmal Kotwal.

The five-judge Constitution Bench judgment in Rejanish KV v. K Deepa & Others expands the eligibility for direct recruitment of district judges under the Bar quota by allowing serving judicial officers, who cumulatively possess seven years’ experience as advocates and judicial officers, to compete for posts traditionally reserved exclusively for practicing lawyers. 

The Bar members warned that the judgment dilutes the Bar quota, weakens opportunities for young lawyers and disturbs the constitutionally intended balance between judicial service promotions and direct recruitment from the Bar.

Members unanimously expressed that the ruling “erodes the independence of the Bar” and “threatens the adversarial system by favouring those already within the judicial hierarchy".

Senior lawyers including former Advocate General and Senior Advocate UK Jalali, former Bar President and Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi, and Senior Advocate KS Johal, strongly opposed the ruling and urged unified national action to restore the exclusive nature of the Bar quota. 

The Association noted that similar concerns have already been echoed by other Bar bodies, including the Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association, which has resolved to challenge the verdict through review or curative petitions.

It has called upon the entire Indian Bar fraternity to unite against any dilution of advocates’ rights, asserting that the Bar quota must remain a fortress exclusively for practicing lawyers.