The full court of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, has issued a show cause notice to Senior Advocate Rishi Malhotra, seeking an explanation as to why his senior designation should not be revoked.

The decision was taken during a full court meeting following concerns raised about Malhotra's professional conduct. As per the sources, the focus of the discussion was on the “sharp practices” allegedly adopted by Malhotra.

The full court was convened after CJI Khanna was informed about a recent judgment authored by Justice Oka flagging the practices adopted by Malhotra.

The judgment, delivered on February 20, not only raised issues about the existing process of senior advocate designations but also referred the matter to the CJI for further consideration by a larger bench.

Malhotra has been at the center of controversy since September-October 2024 after an advocate-on-record (AoR), who was previously his junior, informed the Court that he had signed an appeal at Malhotra's instance without knowing that crucial facts had been omitted.

The issue came to light when the Supreme Court found that an appeal filed through AoR Jaydip Pati failed to disclose critical details relevant to the case, particularly in a plea seeking remission of a convict’s sentence.

In December 2024, a bench led by Justice Oka strongly criticized Malhotra’s conduct, particularly his alleged failure to inform a client about the status of a case filing despite receiving fees.

The show cause notice from the full court now puts Malhotra’s senior advocate designation under scrutiny, with the next steps pending his response.

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SC Seeks Explanation from Senior Adv Rishi Malhotra After AoR Claims Unawareness of Crucial Omitted Facts in Appeal