The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Supreme Court Advocate-on-Record Association (SCAORA) have formally written to the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, seeking reconsideration of the waiting period prescribed under the 2026 Guidelines for Designation of Senior Advocates.

In a representation dated February 12, 2026, the SCBA and SCAORA have requested relaxation of the mandatory waiting period imposed under Paras 21 and 22 of the 2026 Guidelines, which require Advocates-on-Record and other advocates whose applications were either not favourably considered or deferred to wait before applying again.

Under the current framework, Para 21 of the Guidelines provides that Advocates-on-Record and advocates whose cases have not been considered favourably are required to wait for a period of two years before applying afresh. Para 22 further provides that advocates whose cases have been deferred are required to wait for a period of one year before becoming eligible to apply again.

The SCBA has contended that the prescribed waiting period operates harshly in certain cases, particularly where non-consideration or deferral was not on account of any disqualification. The Association pointed out that in earlier guidelines, cases deferred by the Full Court were allowed to apply afresh online, irrespective of the one-year restriction.

The representation urges the Court to permit:

• Advocates whose cases were not favourably considered to apply afresh after one year instead of two years; and

• Advocates whose cases were deferred to apply afresh online, irrespective of the one-year restriction.

The SCBA stated that such relaxation would ensure that “deserving and meritorious members of the Bar are not unduly prejudiced by procedural timelines” and would further strengthen confidence in the designation process.