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4 clusters · 7 sources · 16 days · First seen · Last updated

Categories: POLITICS

Delhi court reform, judge shortage, lawyer probe

Entities: Prashant Chauhan · Justice Prathiba M. Singh · Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya · Delhi High Court · Naresh Chauhan

Overview

The Delhi High Court’s seven‑judge committee reiterated its July 12 recommendation to raise the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts to ₹10 crore, moving civil suits up to ₹9.99 crore from the High Court’s Original Side to lower courts. Concurrently, the court announced 27 vacancies in the Delhi Higher Judicial Service and scheduled a preliminary judicial exam for 26 July, prompting hundreds of district‑court judges to take leave and leaving several courtrooms largely empty. Recent Supreme Court rulings expanding promotion pathways have deepened the staffing shortfall, raising doubts about the trial courts’ capacity to deliver timely justice.

On 27 July, the High Court directed the Bar Council of Delhi to probe alleged extortion by advocates Naresh Chauhan and his son Prashant, who were accused of using forged signatures to obtain demolition orders and then demanding money from property owners. The investigation was linked to a broader nexus involving other lawyers and an NGO founder. The same day, a six‑judge panel again endorsed the ₹10 crore limit, triggering a three‑day strike by the Bar Association that was lifted after intervention by the Union Law Minister and Chief Justice. Justice Prathiba M. Singh dissented, preferring a ₹5 crore increase and calling for additional reforms.

Timeline

  1. about 9 hours ago

    [POLITICS] 4 sources
    Delhi High Court probes lawyer extortion allegations and reviews district court jurisdiction boost

    Delhi High Court ordered a probe into lawyer extortion claims and, amid a bar association strike, considered raising district court monetary limits to ₹10 crore.

  2. 2 days ago

    [POLITICS] 3 sources
    Delhi courts grapple with judge shortages amid jurisdiction hike and upcoming judicial exam

    Delhi High Court proposes raising district courts’ jurisdiction to ₹10 crore while a judicial exam triggers mass judge leave, straining trial courts and prompting calls for reform.

  3. 11 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Delhi High Court Bar Association Ends Strike Over Proposed Jurisdiction Increase

    Delhi lawyers protested a plan to raise district court jurisdiction limits, fearing a 70% drop in High Court filings; after talks with the law minister and chief justice, the strike was called off.

  4. 16 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Delhi High Court recommends raising district courts' monetary jurisdiction to ₹10 crore

    Delhi High Court urges raising district courts' jurisdiction to ₹10 crore, while the Supreme Court publishes a 2026 volume of key judgments on arbitration, consumer rights and other areas.

Sources

boaterschoice.com · collectmore.com · metsi.fi · migrationresearch.org · News18.com · news18.com · newsable.asianetnews.com

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history