After farm Law, Centre also withdraws draft Advocates Amendment Bill 2025

After strikes by lawyers across  the country  and objections of the Bar Council of India, the Union Law and Justice Ministry  withdrew the draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2025 published on February 13.  Like  three farmers Laws, The amendment  in Advocates Act, 1961 faced severe criticism from the lawyers across the country. BCI chairperson and BJP MP Manan Kumar Mishra said that the draft Bill endangered the autonomy of the BCI. However, facing criticism  from all quarters, the Centre govt has decided to conduct the consultation process now. Based on the feedback received, the draft Bill, as revised, will be processed afresh for consultation with stakeholders. Pertinent to mention that the draft Bill had provisions that would allow the government to nominate up to three members to the Bar Council of India, issue directions to the BCI and frame regulations for foreign lawyers and firms. The draft Bill also expanded the definition of a “legal practitioner” to include lawyers working with foreign law firms and corporate entities. The draft amendment had  also introduced a new section prohibiting boycotts or abstention from courts’ work. It said: “No association of advocates or any member of the association or any advocate, either individually or collectively, shall give a call for boycott or abstinence from courts’ work or boycott or abstain from courts’ work or cause obstruction in any form in court’s functioning or in court premises. These proposed amendments in Advocates Amendment Bill is move by the Centre govt to disarm advocates in the court room. It will give more powers to the Sub Inspectors of the Police than Advocates in Court room. This move  of Centre govt is to deprive off journalists, opposition parties from getting justice from courts. Ten years are on, the Advocates  are continuing challenges Centre govt’s move  of misusing police against activists, journalists, opposition parties leaders facing fake cases of sedition, UAPA, PSA, 409, 409A  etc. The centre govt’s  is suffering one after other set back in the judiciary that is why self style law experts of saffron brigade adopted this method without applying their mind and consulting all stakeholders like wise Farm Laws. The Centre govt has not any lesson from the year long protest of Farmers at Delhi borders and again brought draconian and Colonial amendments in the Advocates Amendment Law 2025.Pertinent to mention that the  original Act was introduced in 1961 to regulate the legal profession, safeguard client interests, and elevate the professional standards of advocates. It established the Bar Council of India and State Bar Councils to oversee the conduct and discipline of lawyers across the country. Advocates and lawyers  across the country raised objection on sections of the Advocate (Amendment) Bill 2025 included  Section 35A that called for “Prohibition on the boycotts or abstention from courts’ work”. Section 45B that said, “If any person suffers loss either caused deliberately or by misconduct of the advocate, then, such person may make a complaint of misconduct against the advocate under appropriate regulations as may be prescribed by Bar Council of India for deciding the liability of the advocate.” Section 48B that proposed “Power to give directions. (1) For the proper and efficient discharge of the functions of a State Bar Council or any committee thereof, the Bar Council of India may, in the exercise of its powers of general supervision and control, give such directions to the State Bar Council or any committee thereof as may appear to it to be necessary, and the State Bar Council or the committee shall comply with such directions.”  Section 49B which grants the Centre the power to issue binding directions to the BCI.