According to a notification released by the Supreme Court today, advocates applying for the list must have a minimum “standing at the bar” of 10 years, and need to complete application forms A and B [available here (PDF)] by 5 March 2014.
Advocates need to specify when and where they were enrolled and where they have practised for the last two years and the period for which they have ever acted as amicus before.
According to the notice, 17 senior counsel, 238 advocates-on-record (AOR), and 243 advocates who are not AORs are currently empanelled. Those names will automatically be considered for re-appointment alongside the new applicants, unless they request to be taken off the panel.
The next round of empanelment will happen in two years on 31 March 2016.
Amicus are generally selected by the bench to assist the court as independent advisers, usually in complicated or sensitive matters.
It is understood that the court regularly selects amici who are not empanelled, though those on the list may get preference occasionally.
For example, in the public interest litigation filed by an anonymous intern against the apex court and Swatanter Kumar, over sexual harassment allegations, the bench appointed PP Rao and Fali Nariman as amici, neither of whom are empanelled according to the list.
Current senior counsel on the panel:
- Dr Shyamlha Pappu
- Vikram Chand Mahajan
- Rajinder Sacher
- Krishna Nand Gupta
- RK Shukla
- Dushyant Dave
- Shib Shankar Sarkar
- Mathai M Paikeday
- ATM Rangaramanujam
- Pundit Parmanand Katara
- Prabhat Chandra Agarwal
- Pramod Kumar Jain
- Madhukar Rao
- JS Attri
- Neeraj Kumar Jain
- Dr KP Kylasanatha Pillay
- Sidharth Luthra