Supreme Court seeks nationwide feedback on Bar Association reform

The Supreme Court is taking steps to improve how bar associations across India function. On Wednesday, a bench led by justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta asked all lawyers' bodies to submit suggestions within four weeks. The goal is to create guidelines for better membership criteria, election processes, and governance within these associations.

Gathering inputs from All Bar Associations

To manage this process, advocate Vipin Nair, president of the Supreme Court Advocates-On-Record Association (SCAORA), was appointed as the nodal counsel. Nair will collect suggestions from bar associations across the country and share them with the court. The Supreme Court emphasized that this effort is focused on long-term reforms and is not an adversarial issue.

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Reforms stem from discrimination case

The move began after a case involving alleged discrimination by the Madras Bar Association. Although the petitioners wanted to withdraw their claims, the court decided to address broader issues of elitism and discrimination in bar associations nationwide. The court is considering setting uniform standards for membership and may explore forming an independent body to oversee elections, given concerns about excessive spending and disputes. The next hearing is scheduled for October.