New Delhi: The Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) on Monday informed the Delhi High Court that it has withdrawn its notification making Aadhaar and voter card mandatory with Delhi-NCR address for enrollment of advocates in Delhi. A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula ordered the BCD to notify the decision within four weeks.
The court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Rajni Kumari, a resident of Bihar and a law graduate from Delhi University. In her petition, Rajni Kumari challenged the BCD's notification as “arbitrary and discriminatory”. It may be noted that in a notification issued by the BCD on April 13, the BCD stipulated that advocates proposing to enroll in the BCD would have to show their Aadhaar and voter card showing Delhi or NCR as their place of residence.
It added that fresh law graduates seeking admission in the national capital will also mandatorily have to attach copies of their Aadhaar and voter ID cards with Delhi/NCR addresses. It was emphasized in the notification that any future enrollment would be dependent on the submission of these documents. The petition, filed in the High Court through advocates Lalit Kumar, Shashank Upadhyay and Mukesh, said that the BCD's decision would prevent law graduates from practicing law who come to Delhi from different parts of the country in the hope of better prospects.
Pertinently, the 11 District Courts, one High Court and the Supreme Court are located in seven District Court Complexes in Delhi. Any law graduate can practice law in Delhi after registration in BCD.
