On 18 July 2026, the Bar Council of India (BCI) published the draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026 for public consultation, describing it as a comprehensive profession-first reform of the Advocates Act, 1961.
Stakeholders have been invited to submit suggestions by 31 July 2026 at draftadvact2026bill@gmail.com.
Key Highlights:
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The BCI has released the Draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and invited suggestions from State Bar Councils, Bar Associations, law universities, Centres of Legal Education, law firms and other stakeholders.
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Suggestions on the draft may be submitted to the BCI till 31 July 2026 at 3:00 PM, following which no further inputs will be considered.
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The BCI stated that the draft seeks to modernise the statutory framework governing the legal profession and strengthen the organised Bar.
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The draft proposes amendments to Sections 6 and 7 of the Advocates Act, 1961 to expand advocate welfare measures by enabling the creation of funds and trusts for insurance, pension, medical relief, social security, financial assistance, support for advocates with disabilities and welfare of dependants.
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The proposed amendments empower State Bar Councils and the BCI to conduct professional development programmes for advocates in areas such as arbitration, mediation, artificial intelligence, cyber law, taxation and international legal practice.
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The draft proposes amendments to Section 3 to increase women’s representation in State Bar Councils through a combination of elected and co-opted seats.
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Bar Associations will receive express statutory recognition through proposed amendments to Section 6, with State Bar Councils empowered to strengthen their functioning and protect the rights, privileges and interests of advocates.
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The proposed amendment to Section 24 revises enrolment fees to ₹18,000 payable to the State Bar Council and ₹4,500 payable to the BCI, while providing concessional rates for eligible SC/ST candidates and persons with benchmark disabilities facing financial hardship.
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The BCI stated that the proposed revision of enrolment fees follows the Supreme Court’s decisions in Gaurav Kumar v. Union of India, (2025) 1 SCC 641 and Pankaj Sinha v. Bar Council of India, WP No. 1261/2025, where the Court highlighted the need to revisit enrolment fees, which had remained substantially unchanged since 1993 despite increased institutional responsibilities and inflation
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By inserting a new Chapter IIIA (Sections 28A and 28B), the draft provides express statutory recognition to Indian law firms and mandates their registration with the Bar Council.
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The draft seeks to preserve the exclusive right of Indian advocates to practise before courts, tribunals and statutory authorities in India.
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Foreign lawyers and foreign law firms will not be permitted to appear before Indian courts, undertake Indian litigation or claim rights available to advocates enrolled under the Advocates Act.
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Foreign lawyers may be permitted to participate in international commercial arbitrations involving foreign law, subject to the framework proposed under the draft.
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The proposed amendment to Section 24 omits the existing proviso permitting enrolment of foreign citizens on the basis of reciprocity, meaning foreign citizens will not ordinarily be entitled to enrol as advocates in India.
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The proposed reciprocity framework will allow restrictions on lawyers and law firms from countries that do not permit Indian lawyers or Indian law firms to practise in their jurisdictions.
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The draft proposes amendments to Section 10 to create a 25-member Legal Education Committee comprising representatives from the judiciary, Bar, academia, University Grants Commission and Government.
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The draft proposes amendments to Section 7 empowering the BCI to provide for an entrance examination or test for admission to law degree courses and prescribe minimum eligibility criteria for legal education.
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Proposed amendments to Sections 7 and 49 will empower the BCI to prescribe qualifications for legal education and frame rules governing Bar examinations, including the All India Bar Examination.
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The proposed insertion of Section 19A requires State Bar Councils to verify advocates’ place of practice and the genuineness of educational qualifications.
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The draft proposes insertion of Section 24C, enabling removal of an advocate’s name from the State Roll upon conviction and a sentence of two years or more, subject to specified conditions for re-enrolment.
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The draft proposes insertion of Sections 14A and 15A providing for Election Tribunals headed by retired Supreme Court Judges or former Chief Justices of High Courts to adjudicate Bar Council election disputes.
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The Bill proposes amendments for registration and regulation of foreign lawyers, foreign law firms and fly-in-fly-out practice arrangements.
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Several provisions from the 2025 draft, including penalties for strikes, disciplinary proceedings against Bar Association office-bearers, heavy monetary penalties on advocates and government nominees in Bar Councils, have been omitted from the present draft.
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The draft proposes insertion of definitions for ‘law firm’, ‘foreign lawyer’, ‘foreign law firm’ and ‘fly-in fly-out’ practice, providing a statutory framework for regulation of legal practice entities and foreign legal practitioners.
Also Read: Government Releases Draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2025 for Public Comments
[Draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026, dated 18-7-2026]
