Advocates' Enrolment Will Be Done As Soon As Verification Of Applications Is Complete: Says Madhya Pradesh Bar Council, HC Seeks Instructions

The Jabalpur bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday (November 26) orally questioned the State Bar Council for "unnecessary delay" in enrolment of lawyers since the last four months. During the hearing the court asked the State Bar Council to "take instructions" in the matter and inform the court regarding the same on Wednesday as to whether the enrolments are being processed. A division bench of Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain was hearing a PIL by Rakesh Singh Bhadoria, former Joint Secretary of the Madhya Pradesh High Court Bar Association at Indore alleging non-enrolment of lawyers since four months. According to the petition, the last Enrolment Committee meeting was held on July 29 and since then, no subsequent meetings have been convened, halting the enrolment of aspiring advocates on the state rolls. The petitioner had thus sought a writ of mandamus directing the State Bar Council to reconvene the Enrolment Committee and expedite the resolution of the pending applications. The bench had kept the matter today. During the hearing on Tuesday, the counsel for petitioner emphasizing on the urgency of the matter and said, “The last date notice was issued to the state bar council. The urgency in the matter is that almost 6000 enrolment applications of new advocates are pending. For almost four months no decision has been taken by the state bar council. Each and every day is a loss to the new law students. Since July, no new enrolments have taken place by the State Bar Council”. Replying to the above contention, the counsel for the respondents/State Bar Council said, “The enrolment process is going on” and asked for two-week time to file a reply. The counsel for respondent said, “We have sent documents for document verification and police verification. Everyone's verification is going on. As soon as the documents come, we will enrol.” The court orally asked, “How many candidates are there? Since when this verification process is going on?" to which the counsel for respondent replied, “Around 6000...Since July. We have sent a letters for verification.As soon as verification comes...jaise he aate jayenge enrolment karte jayenge”. The court further orally said, “Has someone's verification come?”. To this the counsel replied, “As soon as it comes, we will do it.” Further, Justice Kait orally asked, “When did you send it for the process? Four months ago?”. The counsel for respondent replied by saying, “No, sir. Last month, an enrolment committee was constituted.”To this, the court orally asked questioned if there was no committee before, as there is always an enrolment committee. The counsel then replied, “I will take the instruction”. The high court thereafter orally said, “Take the instructions and come tomorrow. And whoever's verification has come, show it to us that you are enrolling. Why are you delaying unnecessarily?”. Asking the state bar council's counsel to get instructions in the matter the court listed it for hearing today (November 27). Case Title: Rakesh Singh Bhadoria Vs State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh And Others, WP No. 34475 of 2024Click Here To Read Order

Advocates' Enrolment Will Be Done As Soon As Verification Of Applications Is Complete: Says Madhya Pradesh Bar Council, HC Seeks Instructions

Anukriti Mishra

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