Express News Service The Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday directed the Central government and Bar Council of India to take steps ensuring that a separate Bar Council for Telangana becomes operational.
Justice P Naveen Rao was allowing two petitions by Ch Venkat Narayana, a practicing advocate from Telangana, and S Prabhakar, a law graduate, seeking to declare the inaction of the authorities in constituting separate Bar Council for Telangana as illegal.
The petitioners challenged the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) resolution dated June 21, 2014 in which it has directed that the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh to proceed with disciplinary proceedings and enrollment of law graduates as advocates by taking option from them as to whether they intend to be on the rolls of Bar Council of Telangana or AP after bifurcation of the existing Bar Council.
Senior counsel S Satyam Reddy and advocate M Rajender Reddy, arguing for the petitioners, contended that the AP Reorganisation Act has specifically stated of having separate Bar Councils for Telangana and AP states.
Senior counsel D Prakash Reddy, appearing for the BCI, contended that there cannot be a separate Bar Council for Telangana till there was a common High Court for both the states.
While declaring the BCI resolution as illegal without power and jurisdiction, the judge observed that “the Advocates Act is a self-contained enactment dealing with all aspects of an advocate. The full gamut of provisions of the Act shall apply in the state of Telangana.”
