WHY I NEED YOUR VOTE FOR RE-ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF SUPREME COURT BAR ASSOCIATION?

NewDelhi- Dear colleague,As the elections for the Supreme Court Bar Association draw near, I am reaching out to you to implore you to use the power of your vote as an esteemed member of the Supreme Court Bar Association and to choose your candidate for the post of President. I place before you again my candidature for my re-election for the said post and covet your valuable support. Your backing will make a substantial difference and I request you to kindly take time out to cast your vote on May 16, 2024.I have been an active member of the Bar for almost five decades, and have had the occasion to witness the challenges and opportunities that shape our profession. My take home from the profession is not accumulation of wealth, but friendships and companionships where emotions and experiences are shared, making life fulfilling. To every lawyer, I have been approachable and accessible, at all times. This helped me win numerous friends, and I take pride in these relationships forged.As President of Supreme Court Bar Association, Vice-Chairman of Bar Council of India and Chairman of Bar Council of Delhi, I devoted all my time to the affairs of the Bar and that helped me obtain a clear understanding of the problems faced by our colleagues. No lawyer ever had to seek prior appointment to meet me. Any lawyer may walk into my chamber or residence at any time to see me. Lawyers are free to call me on my mobile number any time and I take my calls myself, just as I prefer to drive my ordinary car. It is because of this deep commitment that the legal community found me worthy of being elected to represent it before the Judiciary and before the Government to canvass its interests, despite the fact that I am only a commoner lawyer who has mustered the courage to practise in the highest court of justice.I may mention here that I have not had active political affiliations or primary membership of any political party although I remained Additional Advocate General of (1) Govt. of UP (with Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party as the CM); (2) Govt. of Punjab (with Mr. Prakash Singh Badal of Akali Dal and BJP as the CM); (3) Govt. of Tamil Nadu (with Mr. K. Karunanidhi of DMK as the CM); (4) Senior Additional Advocate General of Govt. of Haryana (with Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda of Congress as the CM). Likewise,

I remained Senior Counsel for Govt. of India under the Prime Ministership of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi and right upto Dr. Manmohan Singh, but had political leaders at arm’s-length except for the welfare of the lawyer community.During the last tenure, for the first time, the Association celebrated the festivals of Christmas, Guru Parv and Id-ul-Fitr in the Supreme Court and these events were attended by a number of Hon’ble Judges. On my persuasion, the Hon’ble Prime Minister, on 28.1.2024, announced the grant of Rs. 800 crores for construction of additional chambers/cubicles etc for SCBA members, and the Hon’ble Union Law Minister announced, on 30.11.2023 the plan to provide for medical and life insurances for SCBA members.I have been tirelessly working to see that my colleagues are able to get chambers or cubicles so that they can discharge their professional duties with dignity. With great difficulty, the grant could be obtained. The roll-out of medical insurance is also essential and needs to be done on urgent basis. These projects cannot be allowed to be derailed. I request your patronage to enable me to take them to culmination.It is the interest of the legal fraternity that has remained central to my actions. It was at my request that Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh agreed and simultaneously announced at the Jurists Conference organized by me at the Convention Hall of Ashoka Hotel that he has allotted 10 acres of land to the Supreme Court Advocates at Sector 99, Noida upon which the Supreme Tower has been constructed. I was also instrumental in getting 10% reservation in HUDA plots and 15% reservation in HUDA flats for lawyers from Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the then Chief Minister of Haryana. I was involved in getting the Gurudwara Panja Sahib at Hasan Abdal, the status of Holy City from the Pakistan Government while leading a delegation of 106 jurists and lawyers to Pakistan on 4.10.2012.It is regrettable that whenever the Association tries to take some steps forward, there are some who try to pull us back by introducing retrograde measures. While the Association tries to protect the interest of every lawyer who practices in the Supreme Court, there are some who feel it must work only to further the interests of a handful, by imposing further restrictions on the membership of the Association and on voting rights. There are voices demanding that members having less than 25 appearances every year in the Hon’ble Supreme Court should not have voting rights and further, that no voting rights should be given on the basis of entry through proximity card. They also wanted to increase the subscription fees of SCBA members, fees for contesting SCBA elections, nomination fees etc. They also proposed that a member should have a certain number of appearances as the lead arguing counsel. Amendments were proposed that will have the effect of disentitling members of SCBA from working in the library and from using the proximity card. The amendments would have required ordinary members to obtain entry passes from the Facilitation Centre to attend Supreme Court each time they enter. Members who have been allotted chambers in the Supreme Court would then be required to vacate them. In the recently held General Body Meeting of SCBA on April 30, 2024 also, I opposed these amendments and instead requested the passing of agenda for reservation for women in SCBA elections. Finally, the Hon’ble Supreme Court was pleased to pass orders for reservation for women in SCBA forthcoming elections.For the road ahead, inclusivity and diversity needs to be fostered within the legal community, ensuring that every voice is heard and respected. We need to collaborate with fellow members to address emerging issues and trends affecting our profession. We also need to ensure that our members practising in Supreme Court are considered and given due weight for being appointed as Judges of High Courts and presiding officers of Tribunals.I have come to know that my opponents are blaming my Executive Committee of SCBA that it has failed to restore the practice of circulating letter for adjournment. In this connection, I hasten to inform you that Hony’ Secretary had written letters dated 05.12.2023 and 24.12.2023 to the Secretary General and I had also written a letter dated 11.12.2023 to Hon’ble Chief Justice of India in this regard and I along with other members of Executive Committee met with the Hon’ble Judges Committee on 05.01.2024 and I also raised this issue in my speech at Christmas Celebration in the presence of the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India and other Hon’ble Judges.My main opponent in this election is former Union Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal whom I hold in high esteem, but the election is to be viewed from the vantage point of the collective interest of the Bar. This includes every member of the SCBA regardless of his clientele and the quantum of cases he has. I put forth my candidature to protect and further the interest of every such lawyer.Your support is instrumental in shaping the future of our Bar Association, to make it stronger and more vibrant.