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Bar Council Of India
The Bar occupies an indispensable place in fortifying the rule of law and upholding the sanctity of the Constitution, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Wednesday while also stressing its importance in providing legal aid to the vulnerable and the marginalised. Addressing a gathering at a Constitution Day function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, the CJI said the judiciary has repeatedly acknowledged the invaluable role of the Bar in safeguarding its virtues. "When we celebrate the pivotal moment when the people of India gifted unto themselves their most fundamental covenant, I stand before you and must emphasise that the Bar occupies an indispensable place in fortifying the rule of law and upholding the sanctity of our Constitution... "I do not hesitate in saying that if the courts are regarded as the sentinel of the Constitution, then the members of the Bar are the torchbearers who illuminate our path. They help us discharge our solemn duty with clarity and .
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Bar Council of India to notify elections for Punjab and Haryana bar councils in ten days and hold the polls by December 31, 2025. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also directed apex bar body Bar Council of India (BCI) to hold elections for the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council by January 31, 2026 and address the genuine and bonafide grievances of electors. The top court passed the directions after it was pointed out that elections for Punjab and Haryana bar councils have not been notified and in Uttar Pradesh the voter list is not being uploaded on the website. Senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, who is also chairman of Bar Council of India, submitted that as per rules 180 days need to be there between the holding of election and its notification and they may face some difficulties in case of Punjab and Harayan. Justice Kant asked Mishra to form a committee headed by retired high court judge to hold the bar council elections for ..
State Bar Councils or the Bar Council of India cannot collect any "optional" fee other than the statutory charge from law graduates enrolling as lawyers, the Supreme Court has said while asking the Karnataka State Bar Council to stop collecting any such amount. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan passed the direction on a contempt plea filed by K L J A Kiran Babu, alleging that directions issued by this court in July last year on not charging exorbitant fees from enrolling law graduates by state bar councils, especially the Karnataka State Bar Council are not being complied with in letter and spirit. The Bar Council of India, in its affidavit, said all state bar councils are complying with the directions of the court and the Rs 6,800 charged by the Karnataka State Bar Council for ID cards, certificates, welfare fund, and training, among others, and Rs 25,000 over and above the statutory fees are optional and not mandatory. "We make it clear that there is nothing like
The Supreme Court on Tuesday grilled the Bar Council of India for "interfering in academic affairs of law colleges" and said the task should be left with academicians. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh was hearing pleas challenging the BCI's 2021 decision to scrap the one-year LLM course in the country and de-recognise foreign LLMs. "Why are you interfering in academic affairs? Why should BCI decide curriculum, etc., of law colleges. Some academic expert should take of these things. In this country there is a very big class of lawyers. You have an onerous statutory responsibility of updating their knowledge and organising training programmes for them," the bench said. The top court added, "You can have training on art of drafting, understanding case laws, etc., and it should be part of your statutory responsibility. The curriculum has to be entrusted to the academicians." When senior advocate Vivek Tankha, appearing for the BCI, said it was the "existing system",
Exercising its plenary powers, the Supreme Court on Friday reserved the post of treasurer in Bengaluru advocates association for women lawyers. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh exercised its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution observing the election for the bar body was scheduled on February 2 and the nomination process was over. "We deem it appropriate to invoke our powers under Article 142 of Constitution and direct as follows - (i) the post of treasurer shall be exclusively earmarked for women candidates," it held. The court invoked its powers saying it was "high-time" to provide women reservation in different elected bodies of advocates and there were no express provisions in the memorandum and by-laws earmarking seats for women candidates of the association. The bench directed the high-powered committee constituted to oversee the election and the chief returning officer for the bar body polls to extend the date for inviting nominations and if requir
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has removed names of 107 fake lawyers from its roll between 2019 and October 2024 in Delhi as a part of its ongoing drive to maintain "integrity and professionalism". "This decisive action is aimed at eliminating fake advocates and those who no longer meet the standards of legal practice. By doing so, the BCI has tried to continue to protect the public's trust and the legal system itself from unethical practices," read a BCI statement on October 26. BCI secretary Srimanto Sen said the names of 107 fake lawyers have been struck off from the roll in Delhi alone as part of its ongoing effort to maintain the integrity and professionalism of the legal community. "Between 2019 and June 23, 2023, several thousands of fake advocates were removed after a thorough investigation into their credentials and practices. These removals are largely due to issues of fake and forged certificates, and misrepresentation during enrolment. Besides, failure to actively practi
The Bar Council of India has issued a circular directing centres of legal education (CLEs) across the country to immediately implement its various guidelines, including introducing mediation as a compulsory subject. It also said that CLEs will implement the three new criminal justice laws replacing the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure-1898 and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872 from the academic year 2024-25. The circular dated May 20 and signed by BCI secretary Srimanto Sen was addressed to vice-chancellors and registrars of universities and principals, deans and directors of legal institutions. It said that the circular was being issued in light of the "transformative vision" of legal education as articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the "collective keenness" of the judiciary and the government for integrating new subjects in legal education. "The Prime Minister also stated that legal education needs to adapt to the changing times and technologies, .