Not a good sign when bar council does not earn respect of its members: Supreme Court Justice BV Nagarathna

Supreme Court Justice BV Nagarathna on Saturday that bar councils must introspect on their role in upholding professional ethics, morality and competence.

"The Bar Councils, whether the Central or the States, must introspect on their role and importance in upholding professional ethics, morality and professional competence. When a Bar Council does not earn the respect of its members, it is not a good sign for the legal profession," she said.

Justice Nagarathna made these observations while delivering an address at the 13th convocation of National Law University, Delhi on August 29, 2026. Also present were Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, who is Chancellor of the University, judges of the Delhi High Court and Vice-Chancellor Prof GS Bajpai.

Her remarks come weeks after a controversy involving Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, who had directed state bar councils not to enrol the graduating 2026 batch of NALSAR, Hyderabad as advocates after they objected to the invitation of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant for their own convocation.

She added that the Bar in India "must rise and speak in a singular voice as to how it could sustain the system of justice dispensation in India," pointing to pendency, delays, rising costs and uncertainty in the system.

On the independence of the Bar, Justice Nagarathna said,

"The independence of the Bar is not an entitlement given to lawyers for their own benefit. It exists because a constitutional democracy requires a body of professionals who can advise, argue, challenge and represent without having to ask the permission of the State, the market, or even their own clients before doing so."

She also cautioned that any lapse or errors of the Bar will have a deep impact on our political and civic life and urged lawyers to "change their mindset and endure to work for their clients as a public service, lest they lose their relevance in the future to come."

On the legal profession more broadly, she said, "A profession is not an occupation or a trade but an office of trust," and that a lawyer "cannot be reduced to a person who sells legal knowledge by the hour."

She closed her address by telling the graduating batch that they leave the institution as "Officers of the Court and Stewards of the Constitution".