The Supreme Court has requested the Attorney General, R. Venkataramani, to consider an advocate’s plea to raise the 25-member statutory limit on State Bar Councils under Section 3(2)(b) of the Advocates Act, 1961, passing an order similar to its September 2 order, and said that if the Attorney General takes a contrary view, the Court will consider it.
The Supreme Court has questioned the Bar Council of India over its claim that “criminals have started entering the legal profession” while defending denial of enrollment to law graduates with pending criminal cases. The Court said such a restriction may not be valid without a clear law under the Advocates Act.
CMS IndusLaw has filed a plea in the Delhi High Court questioning the Bar Council of India’s Rules that allow foreign law firms to operate in India, calling them unconstitutional and beyond the Advocates Act. The Court has sought clarity from the BCI on approvals from the CJI and Central government.