Nearly 11 state bar councils in the country, including the ones in Maharashtra and Goa, are functioning beyond their tenure since elections have not been held due to the verification process to identi
Nearly 11 state bar councils in the country, including the ones in Maharashtra and Goa, are functioning beyond their tenure since elections have not been held due to the verification process to identify fake lawyers. With the Supreme Court giving the Bar Council of India (BCI) three months to complete the verification process, the elections might be held only in 2017, say some former BCI members.
According to data available, the terms of some of the state bar councils, such as that of Assam and Delhi, ended in 2014, with the latest being that of the Karnataka bar council, which ended earlier this month. The tenure of the Maharashtra and Goa bar councils ended in July 2015.
According to a former bar council member, a member from each of the state bar councils goes to the BCI and they constitute the apex body. “With elections for those state bar councils whose terms have expired not being held, the same members are continuing as BCI members as well. Though they may justify their terms one way or the other, this is not democratic,” said the former member, who did not wish to be named.
When asked about the same, a BCI member said, “The elections were not held due to the fake lawyers issue. We have been conducting the verification process and it has been taking time. The Supreme Court had asked us to expedite the process, but the BCI had sought three more months, which was granted by the apex court,” said the BCI member.
The former members alleged that the current BCI post holders were resorting to delaying tactics and were also misusing their posts. “The BCI is sending a 12-member team to visit Washington DC to attend an international legal seminar. The cost of almost Rs 50 lakh for all the delegates will be borne by the BCI. The BCI never participated in any of these events earlier but, now, the members who are on extended terms are going for it, which is surprising,” said the former member.
He added that, at this rate, the elections would be held only in 2017.
