Bar Council of Kerala has restrain lawyers from discussing case details with media
Advocates take out a bike rally to mark the completion of 125 days of abstaining from court work for Samaikyandhra, in Rajahmundry on Monday. - DC
Kochi: The Bar Council of Kerala has mooted plans to restrain lawyers from discussing case details with the media. Lawyers have been asked to confine their views only as legal experts. The council has also decided to inform the High Court that only factual reporting of the court proceedings should be allowed. According to top sources, the council will impose the restrictions in the coming days. Sources pointed out the council would rely on section 36 of the Bar Council of India Rules to restrict lawyers from discussing the details of the case they conduct.
Rule 36 mandates “an advocate shall not solicit work or advertise in any manner. He shall not promote himself by circulars, advertisements, touts, personal communications, interviews other than through personal relations, furnishing or inspiring newspaper comments or producing his photographs to be published in connection with cases in which he has been engaged or concerned.”
The council will hold a meeting soon and take a final decision in this regard. A circular will also be sent to all the bar councils in the state. The same will be submitted before the High Court on proceedings initiated to ban open court reporting by the media in the state.
According to Mr Abdul Azeez Theparabil, member of the bar council, the council will take a decision for accurate reporting of the court details. Lawyers often tend to talk to media, especially visual media, and discuss the case details. The media should cross-check the matter before reporting and they should not air the views of the lawyers, he said.
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