In a significant legal move, the Kashmir Advocates Association has filed a petition with the Supreme Court to establish a dedicated Bar Council for the regions of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The plea was presented before a bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, who have subsequently sought responses from the Central Government as well as the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.
Currently, the legal practitioners from these regions are required to register with the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, as there exists no separate bar council to govern the affairs or cater to the welfare of the lawyers there. This setup is unlike the arrangement in other Indian states, where local Bar Councils play a pivotal role in managing the professional conduct and welfare of the legal community.
The petition emphasizes the necessity of a regional Bar Council under Section 3 of the Advocates Act, which discusses the establishment of state-level Bar Councils. This legal action marks the second attempt to address this issue at the Supreme Court, following an earlier plea in 2022 by Jammu-based advocate Supriya Pandita. Pandita’s filing highlighted the absence of a formal body in Jammu and Kashmir for lawyers to enroll and receive the benefits typically provided by state bar councils across India.
