Draft Advocates Amendment Bill: Bar Council Submits Objections To Centre

The Bar Council of India Wednesday submitted its objections to the Centre regarding the draft Advocates Amendment Bill, 2025.

The apex bar body said they have identified several provisions in the draft amendment Bill and asserted that if enacted in the current form, it will have serious implications for the legal profession and undermine the autonomy and integrity of the BCI.

In a letter to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said, "It is shocking that in the draft publication, several material changes have been made by some officials and Ministry of Law. The very concept of autonomy and independence of the bar is attempted to be demolished by this draft."

"The lawyers throughout the country are agitated and strong protest is bound to occur if such deliberate and draconian provisions are not omitted or amended immediately," the letter said.

The BCI also sought a meeting with the law minister to discuss the matter and work together to ensure that the amendments serve the best interest of the legal profession and the public.

The government plans to amend the Advocates Act by making sweeping changes in the definitions of what a legal practitioner and a law graduate mean.