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Shankar Lal Sharma v. Rajesh Koolwal

Special Leave Petition (Civil) · 2025 INSC 200Decided 29 Jan 2025
SLP(C) No.-017157 - 2022
Mrs. Justice B.V. Nagarathna · Justice Satish Chandra Sharma

Background

The petitioner, a 73-year-old man with limited financial means and low vision, was pursuing a monetary claim in-person against a respondent company through a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court. Because he struggled to argue in English, the Court in 2022 had appointed an advocate, free of charge, to assist him as amicus curiae. Over the following two years, that lawyer appeared on the petitioner's behalf around fourteen times without being paid, ultimately helping broker a settlement instead of a full merits hearing where the petitioner claimed he could have received approximately one crore rupees.

Decision Breakdown

After hearing both sides negotiate over several sittings, the Court directed the respondent company to pay the petitioner Rs. 20,00,000 (twenty lakh rupees) in full and final settlement of all his claims, closing the litigation. The Court also directed the company to separately pay the volunteer amicus lawyer Rs. 1,00,000 as a token of appreciation for his unpaid services. Beyond the settlement itself, the judges used the order to make broader observations about access to justice, praising lawyers who voluntarily assist litigants of limited means and criticising the trend of litigants having to pay large fees for representation without always getting substantive relief.

Lesson Learnt

Litigants without financial means are not shut out of the highest court. The Supreme Court can and does appoint free legal counsel (amicus curiae) to represent them, and young lawyers are encouraged to take up such pro bono work as part of the profession's public-service tradition.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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