Lawyers of the State on Sunday announced that they would join the nationwide protest against the Union Government’s move to bring in the Higher Education and Research Bill that is said to infringe upon the powers and functions of the Bar Council of India and State Bar Councils.
The Orissa State Bar Council on Sunday resolved to observe July 11 and 12 as Protest days against the Bill with lawyers abstaining from court work and holding dharnas at the State headquarters and districts.
The State Bar Council has joined issue with the Government on the Higher Education Research Bill and other connected draft legislations like the National Law School Bill 2011 and the Educational Tribunals Bill 2012 which threatened the various autonomous bodies that oversaw development of professional studies. The move will particularly affect the Bar Council of India (BCI), which is the apex body for maintaining the standard of Legal Education as well as the quality of legal profession in the country, chairman of OSBC Gopal Krushna Mohanty said.
The BCI and the State Bar Councils are statutory bodies created under the Advocates Act, 1961, to regulate the legal profession and laying standards of legal education at the University level. The five-year integrated law courses is the fruit of labour of the BCI, which is being followed by the Centres of excellence at the 14 National Law Schools.
The preparation of syllabus, course materials and the criteria for recognition of Universities imparting legal education are all being done under the Directorate of legal education of the BCI. The Legal Education Committee of the BCI is a mix of top legal luminaries of the country, headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge with High Court judges, Professors of Law, Union Law Secretary, Attorney-General and Solicitor- General of India as members. This highly distinguished team devises policies for legal education.
“Thus when the BCI has been unerringly handling the affairs and taking the education in the right direction that too without any financial assistance from the Government, the attempt by the HRD Ministry to snatch the functions away is incomprehensible, Mohanty said.
The State Bar Council under the resolution of BCI has also decided to petition the President of India, the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister demanding withdrawal of the Bill. The High Court Bar Association would also hold a meeting on June 17 to pass a resolution opposing the Bill.
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