Srinagar: Noted criminal lawyer Tanveer Ahmad Mir has become the first Kashmiri advocate to be awarded a senior gown by the Delhi High Court.
After a thorough screening process that included interviews with over 300 applicants, the Delhi High Court selected 70 lawyers including Mir to be designated as Senior Advocates.
The last time such an exercise was undertaken was in 2021 when the High Court bestowed the prestigious designation on 55 lawyers. The gown worn by a senior advocate has distinguishable flaps indicating the person's seniority.
A renowned criminal lawyer from Srinagar, Mir originally hails from Langate in the Kupwara area of Jammu and Kashmir. His contributions to India's legal system have earned him this distinction at the Delhi High Court, making him the first Kashmiri to do so.
An alumnus of Burn Hall School in Srinagar, Mir earned his LLB and LLM degrees from Delhi University in 1998. Over his 28-year career, he has practised in the Supreme Court of India, the Delhi High Court, and trial courts across the country.
Mir is known for his proficiency in criminal defence and constitutional law and has defended clients in several high-profile cases, including the AgustaWestland chopper scam, the 2G spectrum case, the Aarushi Talwar murder case, Robert Vadra, Indrani Mukerjea, and industrialist Naveen Jindal, that have garnered both domestic and foreign attention.
He is also contributing to the academic and professional growth of aspiring legal professionals at Jindal Global University as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Law and Practice. In addition to being a member of the Delhi High Court Bar Association and the Supreme Court Bar Association, Mir was inducted into the Delhi Bar Council in 1998.
Process to designate lawyers as Senior Advocate
The High Court of Delhi Designation of Senior Advocate Rules, 2024, states that a committee is established to decide on Senior Advocate designation. The Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court chairs the Committee, which is composed of the two most senior judges, the Additional Solicitor General, a Senior Advocate selected by the Administrative Committee from a pool of three recommended by the Delhi government, and a member of the bar selected by the Administrative Committee.
Chief Justice Manmohan, Justice Vibhu Bakhru, Justice Yashwant Varma, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur, and Senior Advocate Sudhir Nandrajog are the current members. The Committee is required to meet at least once each year.
A list of applicants, their credentials, and their prior performance is compiled by the Committee's Secretariat. To be eligible for designation as a Senior Advocate, candidates must have at least ten years of practice experience, be registered with the Bar Council in compliance with the Advocates Act of 1961, practice primarily in the Delhi High Court or its lower courts, and have contributed through publications or pro bono work.
Candidates must be at least 40 years old, though the Committee may make an exception. The selection procedure includes an interview and a detailed review of each applicant's experience and achievements.
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