News: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has clarified that any Master of Laws (LL.M.) programme offered without its prior approval, will be considered unauthorised.
About Bar Council of India (BCI)
- It is a statutory body created by Parliament under the Advocates Act, 1961.
- Purpose: It was established to regulate and represent the Indian Bar.
- Functions: The following statutory functions under Section 7 cover the Bar Council’s regulatory and representative mandate:
- To lay down standards of professional conduct and etiquette for advocates.
- To lay down procedure to be followed by its disciplinary committee and the disciplinary committees of each State Bar Council.
- To safeguard the rights, privileges and interests of advocates.
- To promote and support law reform.
- To promote legal education and to lay down standards of legal education.
- To recognise Universities whose degree in law shall be a qualification for enrolment as an advocate.
- The BCI visits and inspects Universities or directs the State Bar Councils to visit and inspect Universities for this purpose.
- To organise legal aid to the poor.
- To recognise the foreign qualifications in law obtained outside India for the purpose of admission as an advocate in India.
- To manage and invest the funds of the Bar Council.
- To provide for the election of its members who shall run the Bar Councils.
- Composition
- It consists of members elected from each State Bar Council, the Attorney General of India, and the Solicitor General of India who is an ex-officio member.
- The members from the State Bar Councils are elected for a period of five years.
- The Council elects its own Chairman and Vice-Chairman for a period of two years from among its members.
