BCI extends last date for Advocates to furnish information required by Supreme Court e-Committee to 31-12-2020; Issues clarifications and directions for strict compliance

The General Council of the Bar Council of India at its meeting held on 7-11-2020 has again considered the requests received from various quarters including various Bar Associations and State Bar Councils to extend the last date for furnishing the information as per the format required by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India.

After consideration, the General Council of the Bar Council of India, has resolved to extend the last date for submission of the details of every practicing Advocate of the country sought as per the requirement of the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India, till 31-12-2020.

Individual Advocates, who have not yet submitted their details are again requested to send their details through respective Bar Associations or through respective Bar Councils under whom they are enrolled. Even earlier too, the communication by the Bar Council of India has been addressed to Bar Associations and to Bar Councils only and Individual Advocates were specifically requested not to send any email with his/her detail to BCI by email. Individual Advocates should submit their details through Bar Associations or through Bar Councils as it will not be feasible to gather such required details of Advocates if they are sent individually, and sending it through Bar Associations and Bar Councils would be appropriate and feasible.

In fact, Individual Advocates who were sending details by email to BCI have been emailed as follows:

Kindly Note again as clearly stipulated in BCI Letter bearing 1653 dated 24-7-2020, no individual member of any Bar Association should send an email to this email id.

We are going to receive mails from many Bar Associations throughout the Country and Bar Associations are expected to send it over to us as per the attached Format.

Therefore, details as per the format attached should only be furnished by the concerned Bar Associations and not by Individual Advocates.

Kindly also find attached the afore referred letter sent by BCI to all Bar Associations through respective Bar Associations. If your Bar Association has yet not received the format and the above-referred letter of BCI, please provide a copy to them.

Kindly furnish us with the email id, phone nos., whatsapp nos. of either President or Secretary of such Bar, so that we can also send such information directly to them.

We repeat, individual emails are not to be sent on this email id with respect to information sought as per above referred BCI letter and chart.

The Bar Associations are required to be more active, as the details which have been sought, may not all be available with the State Bar Councils as the enrolment form which is generally filled up at the time of enrolment, does not have all the columns/details sought as per the prescribed format of the e-committee of the Supreme Court of India, and therefore the onus would be on Advocates and also on the Bar Associations as well as obviously on the State Bar Councils to ensure that details, as sought in prescribed format, is supplied.

It goes without saying that the Bar Council of India being the Statutory body to regulate legal profession and legal education has the right and discretion to reach out to any Bar Association, Bar Council and Individual Advocates too, and to issue general and specific directions and Bar Councils, Advocates, Bar Associations being an association of Advocates only are also bound to abide by such directions.

The Bar Council of India has been receiving queries from many quarters as to whether furnishing the required information as per the prescribed format is mandatorily required to be provided to the Bar Associations and/or the Bar Councils on letterheads of concerned Advocates or not and secondly, whether such information, which is being submitted has to bear the signatures of the Advocate/s furnishing such information or not as many Advocates were facing issues in this respect.

In response to the same, it is stated that it is not mandatory to furnish the information on letterheads and furthermore if the information is being sent by email to the concerned Bar Associations and/or to the Bar Councils, then it may not be possible to append the signatures on the prescribed format as that would entail taking a print out of the format, signing the same, scanning the same and thereafter uploading the same, which may not be feasible for many. Therefore, it is made clear herein that under such circumstances, it is not mandatory to append signatures while furnishing the information by email, if the same is not feasible.

It is reiterated here again that this scheme/proposal is for the benefit of all the Advocates. The Supreme Court has devised a method of communication with the Bar in 22 different regional languages of the country; the e-Committee has also been training the Lawyers for e-filings, virtual hearings etc. other necessary information/reports shall also be made available to Advocates.

It is also made clear that supplying details of advocates who are Members of respective Bar Associations/respective State Bar Councils will serve fruitful purpose to have the correct information about the enrolled Advocates all over India as per the format prescribed by e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India.

It is made clear that there shall be no further extensions granted and any Advocate or Bar Association who/which does not cooperate in this endeavour, shall be liable for suitable action.

All-State Bar Councils and All the Bar Associations are also required to ensure strict compliance of this letter.

This is for your kind information and necessary compliance.

Bar Council of India

Circular dt. 12-11-2020]