The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) has initiated legal proceedings in the Delhi High Court, contesting a recent decision by the court to establish a committee of judges. This committee was formed to evaluate a proposal to raise the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts in Delhi from ₹2 crores to ₹20 crores.
The matter was brought to the attention of a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia by the DHCBA President, N Hariharan. The Bench has agreed to address the issue today.
The decision to form a committee of judges emerged from a full court meeting held on September 2, 2025. The current members of this committee include Justices V Kameswar Rao, NW Sambre, Dinesh Mehta, Vivek Chaudhary, Prathiba M Singh, and Navin Chawla.
This development follows a letter sent in May 2025 by the Coordination Committee of the All District Courts Bar Association of Delhi to the Law Minister, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and members of the Law Commission. The letter advocated for increasing the pecuniary jurisdiction from ₹2 crores to ₹20 crores. In response, the committee of judges was formed to review the proposal and consult with relevant stakeholders before making recommendations.
However, the DHCBA has expressed strong opposition to this initiative. The association contends that the judges’ committee was formed based on the full court’s acknowledgment of the letter from the coordination committee representing district court bar associations.
More Read
The DHCBA argues that the letter was directed to the Union Ministry of Law and not to the Chief Justice of the High Court. Moreover, they emphasize that the Ministry of Law neither solicited comments nor initiated any processes related to this matter. Despite this, the full court proceeded to recognize the letter from the Coordination Committee, leading to the formation of the judges’ committee.
The DHCBA has raised concerns over the lack of clarity regarding the High Court’s rationale for constituting the judges’ committee, questioning the motives and necessity behind such a decision.
