BCI condemns Law Commission report, fresh amendments to Advocates Act to be proposed

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has rejected the Law Commission of India’s 266th Report recommending changes to the Advocates Act..As reported earlier, a meeting was held in Delhi over the course of the weekend involving High Court Bar Associations and State Bar Councils from around the country. The representatives of these associations unanimously resolved to reject the Report termed as “draconian, anti-lawyer and undemocratic”..The BCI and the lawyers’ bodies also resolved to come up with recommendations as regards amendments to the Advocates Act. Confirming the same to Bar & Bench, BCI Co-Chairman S Prabhakaran said that the proposed changes would be drafted in a couple of weeks’ time. He also said that these amendments would be proposed after consultation with Bar Associations and Councils from across the country..It is also learnt that the BCI has constituted a committee to look into the same. President of the Gujarat High Court Advocates Association, Asim Pandya, who is one of the persons to be nominated to the committee, told Bar & Bench that there would be a meeting of the committee in Delhi from July 21 -23..“As the President of the High Court Bar, I will be inviting suggestions from members of the High Court Bar as well as various district courts in the State. The Committee will be meeting in Delhi to deliberate on the amendments to be made. More details would be known after the meeting.”.Further, the BCI also requested the government not to accept the 266th report. The Ministry of Law and Justice had earlier sent a letter assuring the BCI that the Law Commission’s proposed changes would not be implemented..The Law Ministry also asked the regulatory body to garner opinions from lawyers across the country as regards the changes to the Act, pursuant to which the meetings on July 8 and 9 took place..Read the resolution: