Punjab & Haryana High Court Elevates 76 Lawyers to Senior Advocate Rank
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted the prestigious title of Senior Advocate to 76 lawyers.
A notification issued by the Court stated that each designated Senior Advocate must handle at least 10 pro bono or free legal aid cases every year.
Among the newly designated lawyers are several well-known names in the legal fraternity, including Anil Malhotra, Nareshinder Singh Boparai, Vikas Chatrath, Lokesh Sinhal, Ankur Mittal, Pawan Girdhar, and Dheeraj Jain.
The list also features five women lawyers — Puneet Kaur Sekhon, Divya Sharma, Monica Chhibber, Puja Sharma (Puja Chopra), and Promila Nain — who have earned recognition for their professional contributions.
Some of the advocates have notable backgrounds:
- Anil Malhotra has served as amicus curiae in family law and child custody cases, including international parental abduction matters.
- Navdeep Singh (Major) is an expert in military law and a former Territorial Army officer.
- Vikas Chatrath is well-known for his work in service law and for his legal YouTube channel Beyond Law CLC.
- Lokesh Sinhal serves as Senior Additional Advocate General for Haryana and regularly represents the State before the Supreme Court.
- Divya Sharma and Arvind Moudgil are part of the Central Government’s senior legal panel.
- Dheeraj Jain, son of ASG Satya Pal Jain, is a senior panel counsel for the Union of India.
In total, 210 lawyers had applied for the designation in 2024. However, due to a pending Supreme Court case concerning the senior designation process, the decision was delayed. After reviewing eligible candidates, a committee cleared 64 lawyers, and later, the Full Court approved an additional 12, making the total 76.
The Punjab & Haryana High Court now has over 300 Senior Advocates. The last such round of designations took place in 2021.
