1.65 lakh lawyers, just 7,745 chambers: Space crunch prevails across Delhi’s lower courts

Between 2015 and last November, 98,500 new lawyers — mostly young — were enrolled in various bodies in Delhi’s lower courts, according to data gathered from the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD). However, the increase in the number of chambers has not been proportionate.

“Chambers were made in Saket in 2010. They were allotted in 2012. From 2012, close to 7,000 lawyers were registered here. Where will they go? Chambers for newcomers is a must. At the very least, they need to have a space to sit and operate,” said former Saket Bar Association secretary Dhir Singh Kasana.

Of the 7,745 chambers in the complexes of the lower courts, 4,500, or 58%, are in the Tis Hazari Court, Delhi’s oldest court. With 12,000 registered lawyers, this is the only court where the lack of chambers was not a major poll issue.

On the other hand, Rouse Avenue Court, at present, does not have any chamber. In Rohini court, around 13,000 lawyers are registered with the Bar and there are only 400 chambers. The Saket court has just 700 chambers even as it has 10,000 lawyers.

For the Karkardooma court, the numbers are not any better — 800 chambers and 16,000 lawyers. Southwest Delhi’s Dwarka court has 8,000 registered lawyers and just 345 chambers.

“In Patiala House court, there are approximately 1,000 chambers. On the other hand, the New Delhi Bar Association (NDBA) has over 10,000 members. Close to 3,000 advocates practice regularly and operate from Patiala House,” said advocate Rahul Singh, former NDBA vice-president.

“A significant number of NDBA members are also affiliated with other bar associations… this raises an important concern regarding equitable distribution of resources,” he added.