India Bar Council Opposing Proposed Education Bill

The Bar Council of India (BCI) along with the bar councils of every state have decided to get together in order to intensify their agitation against the proposed Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011. The new bill, which intends to put an end to the prerogative of the BCI for the inspection of educational institutions in the country imparting law education, has been drafted by the government and is all set to be presented in the parliament during the monsoon season.

The Chairman of Bar Council of Rajasthan IR Saini on Sunday said that "In a recent joint meeting, the BCI and the representatives of all state bar councils have resolved to oppose the bill terming it an infringement of sections 6 and 7 of Advocates Act, which enshrine the powers of functioning of the BCI and state bars respectively".

On the very first day of the monsoon session of the parliament, a massive "sit-in" will be carried out at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, which will culminate into a march towards the parliament.

Besides the Higher Education and Research Bill, the BCI and state bars have also been opposing the foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill-2010, the National Accreditation Regularity for Higher Educational Institutions Act-2010, the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Higher Educational Institution Bill-2010, the Eduational Tribunals Bill-2012 and the National Law Schools Bill-2012.

"The manner in which these bills have been drafted and are proposed to be introduced, the HRD ministry is clandestinely trying to marginalize the advocate fraternity of the country and their elected statutory body with respect to the legal education and profession" said Saini.

The Bar Council of Rajasthan's member critically observed that this vicious and arbitrary design of the government to wrest the right of the BCI to hand it over to a few of its nominees. A member said "Apart from that, the said bill is totally impractical and attempts to spoil the tested and well established traditional norms of the legal education system of the country".

Lawyers Rejected To Work- Education Bill Issues On