The Delhi High Court’s pecuniary jurisdiction’ enhancement to Rs 2 crore, from the current Rs 20 lakh, crossed another small hurdle today as the Delhi High Court (Amendment) Bill 2014 was passed by the Rajya Sabha’s standing committee, reported PTI and others.
The standing committee on law and personnel, which passed the bill, also stated in its report that the pecuniary jurisdiction of all high courts in the country should be made uniform. The bill will now pass two more readings in the Rajya Sabha before it can get the nod of the Lok Sabha and ultimately become law.
The amendment, which was introduced by the UPA government after a recommendation by former Delhi high court chief justice D Murugesan, faced opposition from the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) since 2012, while Delhi’s district lawyers went on a strike this year due to the delay in passing the bill and demanded its passage by the parliament’s winter session.
Comments
The pecuniary jurisdiction should be adjusted with inflation if there is to be an absolute number.
Very soon exceptions will be carved out, the IPR lobby will raise issues and cite examples of Western countries.
Then the very powerful Senior Advocate lobby will raise issues followed by law firms.
Litigants will stand to benefit only if the lower judiciary and the bar rises to the occasion.