Lawyer MPs engaging judge’s impeachment barred from practice in court

New Delhi [India]: The Bar Council of India (BCI) on Saturday clarified that although there is no ban on MPs or MLAs from practicing law in courts, anyone participating in the impeachment or removal of a judge will not be allowed to do so.

“No ban on MP/MLAs from practicing in courts, but there is an exception. If the lawyer MPs or MLAs start any motion of impeachment or a removal proceeding against any Judge, they will not be allowed to practice in that court,” BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra told ANI.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay had sent a notice to the BCI requesting to bar MPs and MLAs from practicing law.

In the notice, Upadhyay stated that the MLAs and MPs who double up as practicing lawyers receive a regular salary from the government and also charge a fee from their clients for handling their legal cases, thus violating the rule of the BCI that ‘no salaried employee can practice law’. (ANI)