SC notice to bar council over 6K lawyers suspension due to non-payment of dues

The Supreme Court Friday agreed to hear a plea challenging a notification of the Tamil Nadu and the Puducherry Bar Councils suspending licences of 5,970 advocates for nonpayment of dues towards the Advocates' Welfare Fund. A bench of Justices S A Bobde and S Abdul Nazeer issued a notice to the Bar Council of India and sought its reply within four weeks.

The two bar councils issued a notification on March 22 suspending the licences of 5,970 advocates for nonpayment of dues towards the Advocates' Welfare Fund. Due to the suspension of licences, the lawyers cannot practice in any court or tribunal.

The plea filed by one of the suspended lawyers, Sabarish Subramanian, has sought quashing of the notification saying they were not served the notice for payment of the dues. Every lawyer, who enrols with the Bar Council of India, has to pay some amount towards the Advocates' Welfare Fund.