Senior advocate Indira Jaising’s challenge to the Supreme Court senior counsel designation process will now have attorney general (AG) Mukul Rohatgi as amicus curiae, or friend of the court, reported Live Law.

Supreme Court justices TS Thakur and Gopal Gowda appointed AG Rohatgi, initially appearing for the central government, as friend of the court during the hearing yesterday. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave was representing the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and advocate-on-record ADN Rao was representing the Supreme Court.

Dave suggested to the bench that discussions with bar members “sitting across the table” could help resolve the issues in Jaising’s petition, but senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, in support of Jaising’s petition, asserted that the Supreme Court should come up with definite changes to senior designation rules.

This discussion led to the appointment of Rohatgi as amicus.

Justice Thakur said during the hearing: “Is there any criteria for it? If there is no criteria, then what can be done, you all shall sit together and decide. Let the Bar be not divided. Sit together and evolve a consensus. The Attorney General may take various shades of opinion and file a response,” according to Live Law’s report.