Madras High Court directs Bar Council to enrol law graduate

The Bar Council had refused to entertain his application on the ground that a criminal case for taking part in a demonstration demanding closure of a Tasmac shop was pending against him.

“The cause that the petitioner took up, by way of demonstration, was a laudable and noble cause imposed by the very constitution itself as part of the Directive Principles of State Policy,” said a Division bench comprising Justices V. Ramasubramanian and K. Ravichandrabaabu while allowing a petition from R Nagendran.

The petitioner completed three-year law degree from the government law college in Coimbatore in May 2014. During the course, he and other students organised a demonstration demanding closure of a TASMAC shop. The police registered an FIR. On account of pendency of a criminal complaint, the Bar council did not entertain his application for enrollment citing an earlier high court judgment.

The bench said the court had directed that criminal antecedents of candidates seeking enrollment should be verified by Bar Council. A careful consideration of the order would show that the concern expressed by the judge was with respect to anti-social elements and persons with criminal antecedents trying to enter into legal profession, with a view to having protective gear around themselves. Therefore, the prohibitory order should be understood in the right perspective. It could not be applied blindfold to all types of cases.