Lawyers across the country will not work on January 20 to oppose the new higher education super regulator proposed by the Centre, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has directed all state councils.
Lawyers across the country will not work on January 20 to oppose the new higher education super regulator proposed by the Centre, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has directed all state councils.
In December 2011, the Centre cleared the National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER) draft Bill. The Bill aims to reform higher education in India and increase gross enrollment ratio from 20% in 2010 to 30% by 2020 by expediting the set-up and working of universities and institutes and removing the hurdles caused by various sanctioning authorities.
“It is not a strike, it is a protest. We, in Mumbai, too will support the protest, but are yet to decide how,” said Uday Warunjikar, member of Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa. The Bar Council of India regulates legal education and professional standards under the Advocates Act, 1961.
Its members feel that as the Bill keeps the council out of ambit of legal education, it will hamper legal education.
“Legal education has been part of the Constitution of India for decades. As the bar council, we best understand the needs of legal education. The existing system is useful and should be continued,” said Warunjikar.
Advocate Varsha Rokade, former secretary of the Mumbai Bar Council, said: “The NCHER Bill will take away all the powers of the Bar Council of India. Judges and advocates constitute the council, whereas NCHER will have bureaucrats and teachers. What kind of legal education can be expected now?”
But, there were a few who welcomed the Centre’s move. Dr Suresh Mane, former head of the Department of the Law University of Mumbai, said: “The Bar Council of India has failed to regulate and reform legal education and maintain global standards.”
However, most lawyers in Mumbai are neither aware of the issue nor the strike. “I am unaware of any such strike as I was out of station,” said Mahesh Shukla, advocate in the labour court.
High Court advocate Vidnyan Davre and Thane civil court advocate Darmyan Singh were also unaware about the strike.
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