The Koppal District Bar Association, which has raised a voice for bringing about changes in law education and rules governing legal practice, has emphasised the need for bringing about radical changes in law education, legal profession and judicial examination.
Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Saturday, president of Koppal District Bar Association A.V. Kanavi and general secretary Prakash L. Hadimani said that in the wake of various developments with regard to legal profession and judiciary and the subsequent problems, they are urging the All India Bar Council, State and Union governments and the Law Commission to initiate steps to ensure quality in law education and also to protect the sanctity of the judicial system.
Mr. Kanavi said that their demand is that the present system wherein law graduates are first allowed to register with State Bar Councils and then, clear the All India Bar Council Examination (AIBE) within two years should be modified to allow law graduates to register as legal practitioners only after they clear the AIBE.
Mr. Kanavi said that instead of the rule to allow law graduates to appear for judicial examination directly, there should be a rule to allow candidates to appear for judicial examination for the posts of judicial officers or judges of JMFC or trial courts in India only after three years of mandatory legal practice.
He said that their other demand is that retired judges, public prosecutors and assistant public prosecutors should be restricted from practising as advocates in open courts.
Instead, chamber practice could be allowed, he said and added that they are of the opinion that allowing them to practice as advocates in open courts is likely to lead to undue influence, favouritism and impact on judicial decisions.
Mr. Kanavi said that they also wanted the competent authorities to take the requisite steps to ensure quality law education by bringing about changes at the national level by incorporating the present practices adopted in technical education to make law education more systematic.
He said that they planned to conduct a preliminary meeting of advocates of various State Bar Councils, legal luminaries and experts in Koppal on October 8 to chalk out the future course of action on the issue.
