Approval is interim though as a plea seeking reservation for transgender students is pending before Kerala HC. Stakeholders assert that more sensitisation is required at large.
While some bar councils issued similar orders in past, it's first time a state bar body set a compliance deadline. It said violations will invite action under Advocates Act 1961.
To curb touts & imposters, bar bodies have barred non-lawyers from donning courtroom attire. But some advocates argue this action lacks legal backing and risks being invalidated.
BCI says rules have been enforced with ‘primary objective of safeguarding interests of Indian advocates while regulating the practice of foreign law and international law in India’.
2017 order which created new procedure to designate lawyers as seniors was delivered on PIL by senior advocate Indira Jaising who had argued for revising guidelines for more transparency.
Under the 2025 Bill, boycotts & abstentions that affect court work will be penalised. It also allows Centre, among other things, to appoint 3 members to Bar Council of India.
Several senior lawyers deem the proposed hike excessive, calling it potentially detrimental to accessibility of legal profession, especially for aspiring lawyers from low-income families.
Under Mishra's chairmanship, Bar Council of India has been in news not so much for its regulatory role but for criticising lawyers and judges who spoke for judicial accountability.
Disciplinary action may include suspension or removal from roll of advocates. BCI has also issued cease-and-desist notices to online service providers, asking for removal of 'illegal ads'.
Bihar is blessed with a land more fertile for revolutions than any in India. Why has it fallen so far behind then? Constant obsession with politics is at the root of its destruction.
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