Supreme Court Urges BCI to Re-evaluate Election Rules for Bar Associations

The Supreme Court has called on the Bar Council of India (BCI) to revisit a specific rule that restricts office-bearers of bar associations from contesting in state bar council elections. This request arose during a legal challenge posed by lawyer Dhanya Kumar Jain.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Surya Kant, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, has ordered a reevaluation of the BCI's 2016 election rules. The rule in question prohibits advocates holding office in any bar association, apart from the Supreme Court Bar Association, from participating in state bar council contests.

The existing provision mandates that if any such lawyer attempts to file a nomination, the returning officer is obliged to disqualify their candidacy based on their current or former office-holder status at the time of state bar council election notifications.