New Delhi: Law Minister M Veerappa Moily
on Friday suggested a slew of measures to the Bar Council of India
(BCI) to improve the standards of the legal profession,
including the provision of an entrance test for freshers
before they start practice.
"There should be an entrance test for fresh law
graduates to test their eligibility for practising in the
courts," the minister said at a function here.
While inaugurating an auditorium at the BCI office
here, he announced that the ministry would provide the apex
lawyers` body a financial assistance to the tune of Rs 65
crore for improving the standards of legal education and the
profession.
Justice Dalveer Bhandari, a Supreme Court Judge,
regretted the emerging trend that students of top law schools
were not preferring to enter the field of advocacy.
"It is a matter of deep regret that majority of law
graduates from National Law Schools are not joining the
profession... the general quality of legal education should
improve and at present, it is far from being satisfactory."
Justice Bhandari said the BCI should ensure that
quality education was being provided.
He also advocated for institution of a lawyers`
academy on the lines of judicial training academies.
Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, who has
unanimously been appointed chairman of the BCI, said "we are
going to reclaim our lost territory. We have to make Indian
lawyers a symbol of pride and excellence."
Subramanium indicated that the apex lawyers` body
would undertake massive reforms for bringing positive changes
in the fields of legal education and profession.
S N P Sinha, the outgoing chairman of the BCI, said
that fresh law graduates will now have to appear in entrance
tests conducted in the four zones -- north, south, east and
west.
After clearing the examination, the law graduates
would be enrolled as advocates by the respective state bar
councils, he said, adding it would immensely improve the
quality of lawyers.
PTI
