[Exclusive]: Government moves early hearing application in Supreme Court in the Foreign Law Firms case

With a view to pushing the liberalisation of the Indian legal market, the Union of India has moved an application in the Supreme Court in BCI vs. AK Balaji & Ors for an early hearing of the matter..The application filed by MK Maroria (Advocate on Record) and drawn by Swarupama Chaurvedi states that the Bar Council of India (BCI) has already drafted the Rules for the entry of foreign lawyers, but is waiting for the outcome of the case..The Government further submits,.“the civil appeal is very unlikely to be listed in the immediate future and the matter being utmost importance in the present time, it is necessary to be decided at the earliest possible”..In this regard, the Centre has prayed for an early listing of the matter..Recently, the matter had come up before the Registrar, who issued a formal order for the matter to be now listed for final hearing before the appropriate bench, since all pleadings are complete..The matter is likely to come up for final hearing in the last week of August or perhaps even before..The debate over foreign law firms entering India had reached the Supreme Court in July 2012, when BCI had filed an appeal against the decision of the Madras High Court. In 2015, the apex court granted leave in two appeals – one filed by the Bar Council of India and the other by Global Indian Lawyers..The Court had also directed the Central Government to file an application to list the matter as and when any developments happen..Recently, Chief Justice of India JS Khehar also made a statement supporting the entry of foreign lawyers into India, saying that the same should be done on the basis of “reciprocity”..Read UoI Application for Early Hearing in AK Balaji case