NLSIU grad & Nagaland’s AG Vikramjit Banerjee designated senior by Gauhati High Court

Barely eighteen months after being appointed as Advocate General of the state of Nagaland, Vikramjit Banerjee has been designated a senior counsel by the Gauhati High Court..As per his Linkedin profile, Banerjee completed an LL.M. from the University of Leicester in 2000, following which he started practicing in the Calcutta High Court. Eight years later, he moved to the Supreme Court where has been practicing ever since..Speaking to Bar & Bench, Banerjee said that the designation was “an honour” and a “great responsibility”, a responsibility that he would discharge to the best of his abilities..Banerjee is not the only designation made by the Gauhati High Court. As per today’s notification, the Assam’s Advocate General Chinmoy Chowdhury, has also been designated a senior counsel..These designations come at a time when CJI TS Thakur has reserved judgment in a PIL challenging the system of designations followed by the apex court itself. In fact, that PIL was filed soon after designations in the Karnataka High Court had made their way to the apex court. Part of the problem lies in the fact the High Courts have evolved their own methodologies for identifying deserving candidates..For instance, in 2011, the Gauhati High Court introduced certain guidelines to be followed in senior designations. These guidelines [pdf] mandate, amongst other things, a minimum age limit of thirty-five years, at least five years of practice in a court that falls under the High Court’s jurisdiction, and permanent residentship in a State that falls under the High Court’s jurisdiction..(Read the notification below)