Advocate Amendment Bill 2025: A Threat to Lawyers' Autonomy

Kanpur: The Advocates' Welfare Struggle Committee held a crucial review meeting on the Advocates Amendment Bill 2025, where Pandit Ravindra Sharma, former president of the Lawyers Association, strongly criticized the proposed changes. He asserted that the bill is entirely against the interests of advocates, particularly pointing out Section 4, which empowers the central government to nominate three members to the Bar Council of India (BCI), potentially compromising its autonomy.

Section 35A of the bill aims to restrict advocates and their organizations from going on strike, a move seen as a direct violation of Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to protest. Sharma emphasized that this provision not only silences advocates but also undermines the legal profession itself.

Another controversial aspect is Section 45B, which mandates that complaints against advocates will be handled by a special grievance committee, headed by a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge, along with two former High Court judges, a senior advocate, and a BCI member. Under this provision, lawyers could face penalties up to ₹3 lakh, and their cases could be taken up in consumer forums—directly contradicting a Supreme Court ruling that places advocates outside consumer jurisdiction.

Further, Section 49A grants the central government authority to direct the BCI, while Section 49A1 allows foreign law firms and lawyers to practice in India. Critics argue that this move undermines Indian legal professionals, likening it to historical foreign interventions like the East India Company.

The protestors also highlighted the absence of any measures in the bill for advocate protection, pensions, or health insurance. They warned that weakening lawyers would ultimately weaken the judiciary itself, paving the way for government dominance over the legal system.

With nearly 2.5 million advocates across the country opposing the bill, leaders have called for widespread protests to safeguard the judiciary’s independence. The committee has urged legal professionals and citizens alike to raise their voices against the amendment. They have demanded immediate withdrawal of the bill, warning that failure to do so could lead to nationwide protests, for which the Ministry of Law and Justice would bear full responsibility.

Prominent figures present at the meeting included Ram Nawal Kushwaha, Arvind Dixit, Anoop Jaiswal, Sandeep Srivastava, Priyanka Bajpai, Jaya Kumari, KP Hajariya, Sada Warsi, Vinay Mishra, Sanjeev Kapoor, Shivam Gangwar, Shravan Shukla, Mohit Sharma, Narsingh Yadav, Pankaj Sahu, Shailendra Shukla, Indresh Mishra, and Veer Joshi.