The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong objection
to a lawyer seeking adjournment in a matter on grounds that a senior lawyer
will argue the case.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan
reprimanded the lawyer, who sought to defer the matter pertaining to a
commercial dispute.
The lawyer asked the court to adjourn the matter for
four weeks, saying senior advocate Harish Salve will argue the matter.
The lawyer said Salve was abroad and will argue the
matter physically after his return.
"Are you under an impression that we will
adjourn a matter if you take the name of a senior counsel? This tendency of the
lawyers at the bar must stop. We are not going to adjourn matters just because
you take the name of any senior counsel," the bench observed.
When the matter later came up for hearing, the court
said it wants to dispel the impression that it can adjourn the matter in the
name of the senior counsel.
However, it accepted the request and adjourned the
hearing.
The apex court had earlier in January pulled up a
lawyer addressing the court from his car and underscored the importance of
maintaining dignity in legal proceedings.