Bar Council of Karnataka

Bar Council of Karnataka is the regulatory and statutorily representative body for lawyers practicing law in the state of Karnataka. It was constituted as per the mandatory requirement as per Advocates Act, 1961 and Bar Council of India. In March 1953, the 'All India Bar Committee', headed by S. R. Das, submitted a report which proposed the creation of a bar council for each state and an all-India bar council as an apex body. Members of the Bar Council are elected from among members enrolled and practicing as lawyers in Karnataka and they represent the state in Bar Council of India meetings. Bar Council of a place designs standards of professional conduct to be followed by members, and designs etiquettes and has the power to enforce disciplinary guidelines over the members of bar council.

Bar Council of Karnataka
Statutory body overview
Formed2018 (2018)
HeadquartersOld Election Commission Building, Bengaluru
Statutory body executives
  • Srinivasas Babu L.[1], Chairman
  • Kiwad Kalmeshwar Tukaram, Vice Chairman
Websitehttp://ksbc.org.in/index.php

History

Bar Council of Karnataka was formed as per the requirement of Section 3 of Advocates Act, 1961[1] which mandates each state of India to have a Bar Council. On 30 June 2018,[1] the Karnataka Bar Council was formed. As per the guidelines the legal profession in India and the standards of legal education would be regulated by All India Bar Council. The Law Commission of India was assigned the job of assembling a report on judicial administration reforms.

In July 2021, the state Bar Council along with Bar Councils of other Southern states of India had requested the Vice-President Mr Venkaiah Naidu and Supreme Court Chief Justice Hon. N. V. Ramana for the setting up of separate bench for Southern India.[2][3]

Functions

Section 7 of the Advocates Act, 1961 lays down the Bar Council's regulatory and representative mandatory. Bar Councils of each place has following functions:[1]

  1. Facilitating the election with rules for members to get elected and manage the Bar Council.[4]
  2. Designing the professional behaviours and code to be followed by advocates who are its members.[5]
  3. Lay down guidelines for disciplinary committees and other committees formed by it.
  4. Supporting with financial aid in case of need.[6][7][8]
  5. Protecting the advocate members rights, benefits and safeguarding their interests.[9][10]
  6. Designing, promoting and supporting law reform as per changing circumstances.
  7. Handle and resolve other issues or any matter placed before it by its members in adhoc situations.[6][11][12]
  8. Designing and promoting legal education in country and states.
  9. Design and organise seminars on wide legal topics in the interest of members by reputed jurists and publishing them in journals and magazines of legal circles and other sources of media.
  10. Facilitating legal aid to those who can't afford it.
  11. Ensuring that guidelines laid in various legal forums are followed by members.
  12. Initiating disciplinary action in case of professional misconduct[13][14][15][16]
  13. Designing welfare schemes like Insurance for its members[17]
  14. Supporting members with emergency services during natural calamities.[8]
  15. Initiate disciplinary action in case the official premises is used for other than professional purpose.[18]
  16. Fixing Annual Fee for members for enrolling in Council which includes fees for enrollment and funds towards identity card, building, library, indigent and other welfare schemes.[19]
  17. Organising regular meeting with local associations enrolled with council.[20]

Constitution

The council elects its own Chairman and Vice-Chairman[4] for a period of two years from amongst its members.[21] Assisted by the various committees of the Council, the chairman acts as the chief executive and director of the Council. Voting rights in elections are available only for advocates having a Certificate of Practice. Till the year 2018, there were around 1,10,000 enrolled advocates as members of the Karnataka State Bar Council.[6][1] As per the Advocates Act, the bar council of the state should have 25 members in case the members on roll exceeds 10000 and accordingly Karnataka State Bar Council has 27 members.[1]

Enrollment of advocates

Graduates having a law degree from recognised universities permitted to impart legal education are admitted as advocates in Karnatka Bar Council.[22] Law graduates can enroll online for Karnataka Bar Council. State bar councils are empowered by Advocates Act, 1961 to frame rules according to their convenience for enrolling advocates in council. The enrollment committee formed by Councils will scrutinise a prospective member's application. Enrolled advocates of any bar council in state are considered as eligible to write the All India Bar Examination conducted by the Bar Council of India. After clearing the exam, he is certified by the Bar Council of India and issued the 'Certificate of Enrolment', which facilitates him to practice the profession of law in any High Court based in India and lower courts of the country, as an advocate. Advocates are required to qualify in the exam known as "Supreme Court Advocate on Record Examination" which is conducted by the Supreme Court exclusively to practice in the Supreme Court of Country.

Notable actions

In 2021, Karnataka State Bar Council supported its 733 members who suffered from Covid with financial assistance to the extent of 1.06 crores. The council gave Rs 25000 to advocate members who were hospitalised in addition to Rs 10,000 for those who underwent home quarantine.[6]

In 2021, Karnataka State Bar Council also requested Rs 25 crores financial grant to its members due to courts lockdown and their limited function due to Covid and made the representation to Karnataka Chief Minister.[6]

Karnataka Bar Council in 2021 suspended a lawyer representing a victim who was a party in a case involving sleaze CD.[15]

See also

References
  1. "Karnataka State Bar Council". ksbc.org.in. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  2. "Plea to set up SC bench in south". The Hindu. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. Mutha, Sagar Kumar (25 January 2021). "Bar councils of five states call for an SC bench in south India". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  4. "Nearly 50% of Karnataka lawyers struck off voter rolls, as 4-year-late bar council elections now on schedule, hopefully". legallyindia.com. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  5. "Appointment Of HC Judges Is Made After Considering Seniority, Merit: SC". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  6. "Karnataka Bar Council gives Rs 1 crore aid to Covid-infected advocates". The New Indian Express. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  7. Biju, Rintu Mariam (10 May 2021). "Karnataka State Bar Council sanctions Rs 10,000 to COVID positive lawyers who are in home quarantine, Rs. 25,000 for those hospitalized". Bar and Bench. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  8. Mathur, Aneesha (20 May 2021). "Bar Council of Delhi gives over Rs 3.59 crore as financial aid to Covid-affected lawyers". India Today. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  9. "Bar Council seeks resumption of physical hearing in high court". Deccan Herald. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  10. Sharma, Poonam (27 December 2020). "Delhi Bar Council writes to MHA seeking immediate action against police raid at lawyer Mehmood Pracha's office". India Today. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  11. "Karnataka Bar Council seeks funds from government to compensate advocates". The Hindu. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  12. "Karnataka Bar Council to boycott Lokayukta's programmes". Deccan Chronicle. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  13. "K'taka Bar Council suspends sleaze CD victim's lawyer; here's why". IBT News. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  14. "Lawyer representing woman in Karnataka sex-for-job case suspended by Bar Council". The News Minute. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  15. "Sleaze CD: Karnataka Bar Council suspends victim's lawyer" (in Kannada). Udayavani. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  16. "Delhi Bar Council suspends lawyer's license for submitting fake COVID report". mint. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  17. "HC seeks bar council's response on plea by govt on lawyer benefits". The Times of India. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  18. "Delhi Bar Council suspends license of lawyer who performed 'Nikah' at his chamber". ANI News. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  19. "Bar Council of Delhi hikes enrolment fee, new joinees to pay Rs 14,300". India Legal. 9 January 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  20. "Delhi: Bar council to hold meeting on reverting to physical mode". The Times of India. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  21. Suryam, Areeb Uddin Ahmed,Shagun (21 July 2021). "Men's clubs that decide for everybody? Only 2.04% of State Bar Council representatives across India are women". Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news. Retrieved 6 September 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. "Any procedure in place for online enrollment of law grads, Delhi HC asks Bar Council of Delhi". Hindustan Times. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
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