India, Oct. 6 -- The much-awaited list of advocates to be designated as Senior Advocates by the Supreme Court is expected to be released in the coming weeks, with lawyers familiar with the process expecting the exercise to be completed before Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant demits office on 9 February 2027.

As many as 357 advocates are in the fray for the designation, making the current exercise significantly larger than the previous round in which 39 advocates were designated Senior Advocates in August 2024.

The present exercise is the first major designation process under the Supreme Court's Guidelines for Designation of Senior Advocates, 2026.

The Supreme Court had initially received 293 applications by 9 March 2026, the o...