Chennai, October 6: The Madras High Court today asked the Bar Council of India (BCI) to abolish all three-year law degree courses and retain only five-year courses in the stream on par with other professional courses like medicine and engineering.
The observation was made by Justice N Kirubakaran while passing an interim order on a criminal original petition filed by one SM Anantha Murugan, who pleaded for a direction preventing the intrusion of persons with criminal antecedents, into the legal profession.
The Court suggested that the three-year law degree courses should be done away with altogether to make the course a serious one like other professional courses such as medicine and engineering as the criminal elements would opt for or try “purchasing” only three-year law degree as they would normally have crossed the age of 21.
The Madras High Court directed the BCI to see to it that law institutions did not admit candidates with criminal cases pending, except in case of minor offences.
Justice N Kirubakaran, through a 112-page order, also directed the Central Government to consider entrusting the functions of the Bar Council of India to an Expert Committee headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge permanently or till the Advocates’ Act and the Bar Council Rules are revisited.
The Expert Committee, which would comprise academics, legal luminaries, prominent social workers, retired IAS and police officers and doctors shall be entrusted with the functions of BCI permanently or till the Advocates Act is suitably amended, the Court declared on Tuesday.
The Court proposed the change, noting that the election process failed to elect appropriate persons as members of the BCI, resulting in incapability of the BCI in handling issues properly.