The Bar Association of India (BAI) has approached the Supreme Court with a proposal to create a national digital registry akin to the Aadhaar system, aimed at ensuring real-time verification of lawyers’ credentials and addressing the proliferation of fraudulent legal practitioners. This initiative is part of the case Bar Association of India & Anr. v Union of India & Ors.
The BAI has suggested the establishment of a National Digital Registry for the Legal Profession of India (NDRLP), which would serve as a centralized, technology-driven database. It would assign every advocate a unique identifier linked to their verified qualifications, enrollment status, and disciplinary records.
A bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana, noted the need to consider responses from various stakeholders before proceeding. CJI Kant remarked, “Looks like a novel reform, but all law universities have to be made parties, and they should disclose who are the bona fide law graduates from those institutes.”
The counsel for the BAI indicated that an interim policy paper would be submitted, highlighting the necessity to update the code of conduct for lawyers. The Court also suggested it might form a new committee to further explore the issues presented. Chief Justice Kant commented on the inappropriate remarks made by individuals falsely claiming to be lawyers, stating, “We may have to constitute a new committee with a new composition. We can show you a sample of what kind of nasty statements are being made, and I am sure they have nothing to do with law.”
Emphasizing the importance of reinforcing the legal profession and integrating younger members, CJI Kant added, “Advocates are very responsible. Young members of the bar have to be strengthened. Unless they are trained and brought to mainstream and give some space in overcrowded courts, this problem will happen. Some young lawyers have formed real constructive associations. That is the silver lining.”
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The Court scheduled the matter for consideration on the first Monday after its summer recess. The BAI’s petition underscores a governance crisis, arguing that the lack of a unified verification mechanism for advocates compromises the profession’s integrity. “The governance of the legal profession has encountered a structural failure of systemic proportions: there is no single, publicly verifiable, real-time national record of who is enrolled as an advocate in India,” the petition states.
Highlighting the disjointed nature of the enrollment system maintained by the State Bar Councils, the petition describes it as fragmented across 23 councils, lacking uniform standards and real-time interoperability. This absence of a cohesive system prevents litigants, courts, or authorities from instantly verifying an advocate’s credentials, qualifications, and standing.
The BAI proposes that the NDRLP would serve as a permanent, nationwide digital infrastructure, with each advocate having a unique identifier linked to their verified educational qualifications, real-time enrollment status, and a publicly accessible profile. The registry, akin to India’s Aadhaar system, would be accessible through simple digital tools even to litigants.
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“The establishment of the NDRLP is not merely a matter of professional governance. It is a direct investment in India’s credibility as the world’s largest rule-of-law based democracy and as a destination for long-term domestic and foreign investment,” the plea argues.
The petition also calls on the Bar Council of India to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework for advocates’ conduct on social media, addressing issues of solicitation, misleading self-promotion, and the erosion of public trust in the justice system. Advocate Vipin Nair represented the BAI, along with its President Prashant Kumar.
