The Bar Council of India has various committees that make recommendations to the Council. The members of these committees are elected from amongst the members of the Council.
The Advocates Act mandates the creation of a Disciplinary Committee (under section 9), a Legal Education Committee, and an Executive Committee (under section 10). Chapter III of the Bar Council of India Rules permit the Council to appoint from amongst its members, one or more committees in addition to those specified in the Act. The Council can delegate powers, duties, and functions to these committees.
The term of the members of the committees of the Council has been specified in Chapter III of the Bar Council of India Rules. A different term can be specified at the time of election.
Set out in brief here are the structure, composition, authorities, responsibilities, and other details of some of the Bar Council of India’s committees:
Legal Education Committee
The Legal Education Committee consists of five members of the Bar Council of India and five co-opted members to represent the judiciary, the Law Ministry, the University Grants Commission, and academia. This committee makes recommendations to the Bar Council of India on all matters pertaining to legal education in the country. The committee elects its own Chairman.
The Legal Education Committee has the power:
1. To make recommendations to the Council for laying down the standards of legal education for Universities.
2. To visit and inspect Universities and report the results to the Council.
3. To recommend to the Council the conditions subject to which foreign qualification in law obtained by persons other than citizens of India may be recognised.
4. To recommend to the Council for recognition of any degree in law of any University in the territory of India.
5. To recommend the discontinuance of recognition of any University already made by the Council.
The following are the members of the current Legal Education Committee.
1. Hon’ble Mr. Justice A. P. Misra
Former Judge, Supreme Court of India,
Chairman, Legal Education Committee,
2. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur,
Chief Justice of High Court of Guwahati,
High Court Campus, Guwahati, Assam.
3. Mr. Ashok K. Parija, Senior Advocate
Chairman, Bar Council of India
4. Mr. Zafar Ahmed Khan, Sr. Advocate
Vice Chairman, Bar Council of India
5. Mr. M. Rajender Reddy, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
6. Mr. Apurba Kumar Sharma, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
7. Dr. N. L. Mitra, Former Director,
National Law School of India University, Bangalore &
National Law University, Jodhpur
8. The Law Secretary
Government of India
9. The Secretary
University Grants Commission
10. Mr. Ashok Kumar Deb, Advocate, M.L.A.
Managing Trustee, Bar Council of India Trust
11. Shri Milan Kumar Dey, Senior Advocate
Chairman, Executive Committee
Bar Council of India
12. Mr. G. E. Vahanvati
Attorney General of India,
Ex-Officio Member,
Bar Council of India
13. Mr. Rohinton Fali Nariman,
Solicitor General of India
Ex-Officio Member,
Bar Council of India
14. Mr. Ram Jethmalani, M.P., Senior Advocate
Former Union Minister for Law and Justice,
15. Shri Ashok Desai H.,
Senior Advocate
16. Shri Anil Divan,
Senior Advocate
17. Shri P. P. Rao,
Senior Advocate,
18. Shri K. K. Venugopal,
Senior Advocate
19. Shri Gopal Subramanium, Senior Advocate
Former Chairman, Bar Council of India
20. Shri Ganguli A. K.,
Senior Advocate
21. Shri O. P. Sharma, Advocate
Former Chairman, Bar Council of India
22. Mr. Faisal Rizvi, Advocate,
Member, Bar Council of India
23. Dr. Gopal Narain Mishra, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
24. Mr.Hemantkumar J. Patel, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
25. Mr. Vijay Bhatt, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
26. Mr. Biri Singh Sinsinwar, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
27. Mr. Rajinder Singh Rana, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
28. Mr. Manan Kumar Mishra, Senior Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
29. Mr. Satish Abarao Deshmukh, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
30. Mr. T. S. Ajith, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
31. Mr. S. Prabhakaran, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
32. Mr. I. N. Mehta, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
33. Mr. Bhoje Gowda. S.L., Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
34. Mr. Bhupinder Singh Rathore, Advocate
Member, Bar Council of India
35. Prof. V. B. Coutinho, Director
Directorate of Legal Education
Bar Council of India
36. Shri Ranbir Singh
Vice Chancellor,
National Law School University, Delhi
Disciplinary Committee
The disciplinary committees of the Bar Council of India hears applications for revision by persons against summary dismissal of their complaints against advocates for professional misconduct, by the State Bar Councils.
Appeals lie before the Bar Council of India against orders of the disciplinary committees of the State Bar Councils. Every such appeal is heard by the disciplinary committee of the Bar Council of India, which may pass an order, including an order varying the punishment awarded by the disciplinary committee of the State Bar Council.
Each disciplinary committee consists of three members. The term of the members of this committee is three years.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is the executive authority of the Council, and is responsible for giving effect to the resolutions of the Council.
Members of the Executive Committee are elected from amongst the members of the Bar Council of India. The committee elects its Chairman and Vice-chairman.
The Executive Committee has the power:
1. To manage the funds of the Council,
2. To invest the funds of the Council in the manner directed by the Council from time to time,
3. To grant leave to members of the staff, other than casual leave,
4. To prescribe books of account, registers and files for the proper management of the affairs of the Council,
5. To appoint and supervise the work of the members of the staff and prescribe their conditions of service
6. To appoint auditors and fix their remuneration,
7. To consider the annual audit report and place it before the Council with its comments for its consideration,
8. To maintain a library and under the directions of the Council, publish any journal, treatise or pamphlets on legal subjects,
9. To prepare and place before the Council, the annual administration report and the statement of account,
10. To provide for proper annual inspection of the office and its registers,
11. To authorise the Secretary to incur expenditure within prescribed limits,
12. To fix travelling and other allowances to members of the committees of the Council, and to members of the staff,
13. To delegate to the Chairman and/or the Vice-Chairman any of its aforementioned powers,
14. To do all other things necessary for discharging the aforesaid functions.
At present, the Executive Committee has the following members:
1. Shri Milan Kumar Dey, Chairman
2. Shri Brij Mohan Vinayak, Vice-Chairman
3. Shri Daulat Ram Sharma, Member
4. Shri Ashok Parija, Memebr
5. Shri Zafar Ahmed Khan, Member
6. Shri Apurba Kumar Shama,
7. Shri Vijay Bhatt, Member
8. Shri Biri Singh Sinsinwar
9. Shri Rajinder Singh Rana, Member
Advocate Welfare Committee
The Advocates Welfare Committee looks into applications made by advocates through various State Bar Councils for welfare funds. The committee verifies the application and allocates funds.
The Advocates Welfare committee is empowered by the Advocates Welfare Fund Act, 2001. The State Bar Council shall pay to the Fund annually, an amount equal to twenty per cent of the enrolment fee received by it from advocates clause (f) of Section 24 of the Advocates Act.
The members of the Advocates Welfare Committee are elected from amongst the members of the Bar Council of India. The term of each member in this committee is two years.
The following are the members of the Advocates Welfare Committee
1. Shri Biri Singh Sinsinwar
2. Shri Daulat Ram Sharma, Member
3. Shri Apurba Kumar Shama,
4. Shri Vijay Bhatt, Member
5. Shri Rajinder Singh Rana, Member
Legal Aid Committee
The following are the members of the Legal Aid Committee.
1. Shri Ashok Parija, Memebr
2. Shri Rajinder Singh Rana, Member
3. Shri Daulat Ram Sharma, Member
4. Shri Vijay Bhatt, Member
5. Shri Apurba Kumar Shama
Building Committee
The following are the members of the Legal Aid Committee.
1. Chairman, Bar Council of India
2. Vice-Chairman, Bar Council of India
3. Chairman, Executive Committee, Bar Council of India
4. Managing Trustee, Bar Council of India Trust
5. Associate Managing Trustee, Bar Council of India Trust
6. Shri Rajinder Singh Rana
Rules Committee
The following are the members of the rules committee
Shri Biri Singh Sinsinwar
2. Shri Faisal Rizvi
3. Shri Daulat Ram Sharma, Member
4. Shri Milan Kumar Dey, Chairman
5. Shri Zafar Ahmed Khan, Member
6. Shri Rajinder Singh Rana, Member
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