The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Supreme Court Advocate on Record Association (SCAORA) have jointly approached the Supreme Court, seeking a declaration that all lawyers associated with a particular case be allowed to mark their appearance through the designated advocate-on-record (AoR). 

In their petition, the two bar associations have also urged the apex court to issue uniform guidelines on this matter, ensuring consistency across all benches of the Supreme Court.

This plea challenges a September 2024 order of the Supreme Court, which restricted AoRs to marking the appearance of only those advocates explicitly authorized to argue the case. The order, issued by a Division Bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma, also required AoRs to notify the court of the names of appearing advocates on each hearing day.

According to SCBA and SCAORA, this directive contradicts earlier administrative instructions issued by the apex court. They argue that such practice directions cannot override established legal principles, as reaffirmed by various Supreme Court judgments emphasizing the critical role of advocates in court proceedings.

The petition highlights that an advocate's responsibilities in the Supreme Court extend beyond oral arguments. These include conducting legal research, obtaining client instructions, preparing briefs for Senior Advocates, drafting pleadings, filing cases, and preparing written submissions—tasks vital to the adjudication process.

The petition, filed by AoR Astha Sharma, SCBA Honorary Secretary Vikrant Yadav, and SCAORA Honorary Secretary Nikhil Jain, seeks clarity and uniformity to ensure that all lawyers involved in a case are duly recognized for their contributions in the Supreme Court.