Can Certificate Of Practice (CoP) Be Reissued With Changed Place Of Practice? Allahabad High Court Asks UP Bar Council

The Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) has sought clarification from the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh on whether an advocate's Certificate and Place of Practice (COP) can be reissued to reflect a change in the place of practice.

A bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjive Shukla asked whether such reissuance of CoP is permissible and, if so, whether any time limit is prescribed for it.

The bench sought the clarification while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea filed by Girdhari Lal Yadav concerning the upcoming Oudh Bar Association elections.

The High Court also sought clarification on whether the Bar Association, where an advocate exercises voting rights, as mentioned in the COP, can be changed and, if so, within what period such a change can be made.

The Court directed the Bar Council's counsel to obtain instructions and inform it about the applicable rules and time limits, if any.

In the meantime, the bench directed the Bar Council's counsel to furnish the details, as reflected on the Council's website, of the voters whose names figure in the voter list finalized by the Returning Officer for the ensuing Oudh Bar Association elections.

The order records that the Returning Officer had finalized a list of 5,108 members eligible to vote in the upcoming elections.

To facilitate the exercise, the Court directed the Returning Officer to provide the Bar Council's counsel with a copy containing the names of all 5,108 eligible voters.

The bench further directed that details of any COPs issued earlier and subsequently changed or reissued should also be furnished on the next date of listing.

The matter has been listed for October 22.