Page 3 - Lawyers

Delhi HC judge transfer: Allahabad HC bar body to go on indefinite strike

Lawyers of Allahabad High Court Bar Association will stage an indefinite strike from March 25 onwards following Justice Yashwant Varma's proposed transfer to Allahabad High Court, a senior office bearer of the body said on Monday. "Lawyers of the High Court Bar Association, Allahabad will go on an indefinite strike from Tuesday following Justice Yashwant Varma's transfer to Allahabad High Court," bar body president Anil Tiwari told PTI. He added, "We are sending a request to the Bar Associations in Lucknow in this regard." The strike call came after the Supreme Court collegium on Monday confirmed its decision to recommend the transfer of Delhi High Court's Justice Yashwant Varma, facing an enquiry over the alleged discovery of huge cash from his official residence and from whom judicial work was withdrawn, to his parent Allahabad High Court. After passing of the resolution during the lunch hours of the court, the lawyers abstained from judicial work for the remaining day. The bar

AIBE 19 results 2025: Announcement coming soon, how to check scorecard

The BCI is set to announce the AIBE 19 exam result 2024 soon. However, as per the sources, the expected date can be Mar 20. Candidates can check on the official website at allindiabarexamination.com

Fired top military lawyers because they weren't suited for jobs: Hegseth

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that he was replacing the top lawyers for the military services because he didn't think they were well-suited to provide recommendations when lawful orders are given. Speaking at the start of a meeting with Saudi Arabia's defence minister, Hegseth refused to answer a question about why the Trump administration has selected a retired general to be the next Joint Chiefs chairman, when he doesn't meet the legal qualifications for the job. President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly fired the chairman, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., and Hegseth followed that by firing Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, and Air Force Gen. James Slife, the vice chief of the Air Force. He also said he was requesting nominations for the jobs of judge advocate general, or JAG, for the Army, Navy and Air Force. He did not identify the lawyers by name. The Navy JAG, Vice Adm. Christopher French, retired about two months ago, and there was already a

Amid opposition, govt to revise draft bill to amend Advocates Act

Amid opposition to its various provisions from bar bodies, the government on Saturday said it will revise the draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill as it ended the public consultations on it that started earlier this month. The Department of Legal Affairs in the Union law ministry floated the draft bill on February 13 for public consultations. The government plans to amend the Advocates Act, 1961. The draft bill, which faced criticism, proposed sweeping changes in the definitions of a "legal practitioner and a "law graduate". According to the draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2025, a law graduate is a person who has obtained a bachelor's degree after completing a course of three or five years or such other duration as prescribed by any centre of legal education or university established by law or a college affiliated to any university and recognised by the Bar Council of India. In a statement, the law ministry said the bill was put in the public domain, demonstrating the government's .

Lawyers to deliver closing arguments in trial of man who stabbed Rushdie

Lawyers are set to deliver their closing arguments Friday in the trial of a New Jersey man charged with trying to kill Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in a knife attack that left the author blind in one eye and with other serious injuries. Hadi Matar, 27, is charged with attempted murder and assault in the August 2022 attack at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Rushdie, 77, was the key witness during testimony that began last week. The Booker Prize-winning author told jurors he thought he was dying when a masked stranger ran onto the stage and stabbed and slashed at him until being tackled by bystanders. Rushdie showed jurors his now-blinded right eye, usually hidden behind a darkened eyeglass lens. Jurors also heard from a trauma surgeon who said Rushdie's injuries would have been fatal without quick treatment, and a law enforcement officer who said Matar was calm and cooperative in his custody. They were sho

SC rejects adjournment request for naming senior advocate, warns lawyers

The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong objection to a lawyer seeking adjournment in a matter on grounds that a senior lawyer will argue the case. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan reprimanded the lawyer, who sought to defer the matter pertaining to a commercial dispute. The lawyer asked the court to adjourn the matter for four weeks, saying senior advocate Harish Salve will argue the matter. The lawyer said Salve was abroad and will argue the matter physically after his return. "Are you under an impression that we will adjourn a matter if you take the name of a senior counsel? This tendency of the lawyers at the bar must stop. We are not going to adjourn matters just because you take the name of any senior counsel," the bench observed. When the matter later came up for hearing, the court said it wants to dispel the impression that it can adjourn the matter in the name of the senior counsel. However, it accepted the request and adjourned the hearing. The apex c

Young advocates must volunteer to assist poor litigants: Supreme Court

Young advocates must volunteer to assist the litigants who cannot engage the services of a counsel due to lack of means or awareness, the Supreme Court has said. Expressing appreciation for a young advocate who rendered legal aid to a party-in-person, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma said lawyers should render best legal assistance to the litigant without any expectation in return for their professional services. "Young advocates joining the bar must volunteer to assist the litigants who cannot engage the services of a counsel due to lack of means or awareness whenever an opportunity presents itself. Moreover, they should render the best legal assistance to the litigant without any expectation in return for their professional services. "By these gestures of volunteering to represent indigent litigants, advocates can collectively make a statement to the society at large that the legal profession stands for the right to have access to justice and equality .

Foreign law firms' entry may intensify competition in India, say lawyers

Until now, the BCI had the power to determine rules and regulations surrounding the entry of foreign law firms. However, there were no provisions to regulate such firms

OpenAI cites US roots to avoid Indian courts, but lawyers say case holds

Six other lawyers, and submissions of two court-appointed experts in the OpenAI lawsuit, Arul George Scaria and Adarsh Ramanujan, said Indian judges can hear the matter

SC reserves treasurer post for women lawyers in Bengaluru bar body

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

Top court expresses concern over too many lawyers' names in case papers

The Supreme Court on Thursday raised concern over a large numbers of lawyers marking their appearance in cases, and their names running into several pages, whereas an order was only a few pages. A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma said if a lawyer was assisting the court "effectively" it had no problem in adding the appearance. "Names of lawyers go into 10 pages and the order will go into only a few pages. We are not passing any orders on how the names of advocates should be included in the order. Since you are representing the Bar, we are hearing out," it said. The top court said though many lawyers appeared with the arguing counsel, nobody argued when asked to. "Or we would have clearly said you have no locus. Whoever is attached with the lawyer, their names are there. It cannot be done like that. When we see they are assisting you effectively, their names are there. We will pass the orders," the bench told senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing f

Lawyers, activists call for extending POSH Act to political parties

Legal experts and activists have voiced the urgent need to bring political parties under the ambit of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, known as the POSH Act, citing the need for gender equality and accountability. The reaction comes after the Supreme Court on Monday disposed of a plea seeking direction to political parties to follow the procedure for the protection of women in the workplace under the 2013 POSH Act. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Manmohan asked the petitioner to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) with a representation for the application of the POSH Act. Sonal Mattoo, a lawyer and director of NGO Helping Hands, called for a shift in perspective, urging political parties to focus on the spirit of the law rather than its technical definition. "The problem is they're looking at the letter of the law as opposed to the spirit of the law. If you look at the letter of the law, yes, you will struggle w

SC flags absence of govt's lawyers, says it doesn't like summoning officers

Displeased over the repeated absence of the Centre's advocates in several cases, the Supreme Court on Thursday said it did not take pleasure in summoning government officers before it. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan on December 11 sought the presence of the director general of the Centre's Directorate General of Health Services while flagging the "casual approach" in a matter concerning admission of a medical aspirant belonging to persons with disability category. "The court does not take pleasure in summoning the officers to the court. However, when in spite of being duly served, the respondents do not put in appearance, we were compelled to do so," it said. On Thursday, both the officer and Centre's counsel additional solicitor general Vikramjit Banerjee appeared before the bench. "What is this? Notices are served and you don't even bother to appear," Justice Gavai said, "this is not happening for the first time. On many occasions, for the Union of India, nobod

Can lawyers boycott cases over ethical reasons? What does the law say?

The MP High Court Bar Association has passed a resolution to not represent farmers accused of stubble burning, citing environmental and public health reasons. What does the law say about legal aid?

CJI expresses concern over 'exodus of young talent' from legal practice

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has expressed concern over the "exodus of young talent" from litigation practice and said there is a need to ensure their financial and social security. Speaking at the "Felicitation Function" organised by the Bar Council of India, Khanna said there is a need to create a minimum remuneration standard for young advocates in the first few years of their career. "The exodus of young talent from litigation practice is not merely about personal choice rather it is symptomatic of the structural issues, such as meagre financial and social security in the profession, especially for the first-generation lawyers. "To attract the community of young lawyers dedicated to serving the public, we must work towards making the profession a more conducive space, address entry-level barriers and promote support," the CJI said. Khanna said a concerning trend is being witnessed where bright young legal minds are increasingly gravitating towards corporate law fi

Justice Khanna hears 45 cases on 1st day as CJI, thanks lawyers for wishes

Justice Sanjiv Khanna heard 45 cases on his first day as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI), and thanked lawyers and bar leaders for wishing him well. CJI Khanna entered the hallowed CJI's courtroom around noon after being sworn by President Droupadi Murmu in a brief ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He received a rousing welcome by the bar leaders, lawyers including former attorney general and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi. "I wish you a fruitful tenure as the CJI," wished Rohatgi. On Friday, Rohatgi had said that after more than a decade and CJI Y K Sabharwal (late), the top court will have another CJI from the Delhi High Court. Other lawyers present in the courtroom also wished the CJI well. "Thank you," said CJI Khanna, who assembled in courtroom 1 along with Justice Sanjay Kumar minutes after noon. When a bar leader raised an issue relating to sequencing of cases listed in a day for hearing, the CJI said it was in his mind and he will consider it. The CJI held the cou

Ghaziabad lawyers' strike enters second day, thousands of cases delayed

Bar Associations in Ghaziabad held separate sit-ins over the recent police baton charge against them in the district judge's court as the strike by city advocates continued for the second day on Tuesday. All four entry gates of the court were locked by the protesting lawyers, allowing only one gate to remain open exclusively for judges, magistrates, and judicial staff. "Litigants arriving at the district court had to navigate a detour, with approximately 12,000 cases postponed due to the strike," according to a senior judicial officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity. On October 29, a clash erupted between police and lawyers at the Ghaziabad district court in Uttar Pradesh following a heated argument between a judge and a lawyer. On Tuesday, both the Bar Association of Ghaziabad and the District Bar Association were participating in the strike, holding separate sit-ins within the court compound to demand the suspension of District Judge Anil Kumar and disciplinary action ...

Bar Council of India removes 107 'fake' lawyers from its roll in Delhi

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

Govt notifies Advocates Amendment Act, to come into force on Sep 30

The Law Ministry on Friday notified a law which seeks to punish touts functioning in courts. The notification said the central government appoints September 30 as the date on which the provisions of the Advocates (Amendment) Act, 2023 will come into force. Passed by Parliament in the fag end of 2023, the law provides for preparation and publication of lists of touts. Tout means a person who procures, in consideration of any remuneration from any legal practitioner, business from him or her. But at the same time, no one's name will be included in any such list until he has been given an opportunity to prove innocence. All the aspects which are dealt with in the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879 are already covered under the Advocates Act, 1961 except the matter relating to 'touts'. All sections of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879, except three sections have been repealed through the Advocates Act, 1961. The Law Commission in its report 'Obsolete Laws: Warranting Immediate Repeal' had

Fact-checking, research: A case for taking AI's assistance in the law

AI tools can read every single judgment available in a database to ensure that lawyers 'miss nothing'