Bar Councils Have No Disciplinary Power Over Law Students: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday clarified that the Bar Council of India (BCI) and state bar councils do not have the authority to regulate the conduct of law students. The court said educational institutions are empowered to take disciplinary action against their students according to their own rules. The clarification came while hearing a plea related to disciplinary action initiated by the BCI against students of NALSAR University who had opposed a proposal to invite the Chief Justice of India to the university’s convocation. The bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohan also outlined the limits of the BCI’s jurisdiction in such matters.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court raised concerns over the growing number of accidents on national highways caused by encroachments and illegally parked vehicles. The court asked whether the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) could establish a surveillance camera network and monitor it from toll plazas to prevent such hazards. The court was hearing a suo motu case concerning the death of 15 people after a tempo traveller collided with a stationary trailer truck on a national highway in the Phalodi area of Rajasthan. The bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta observed that encroachments and stationary vehicles remain major safety concerns on national highways.