The bill is part of Central government’s endeavour to repeal “all obsolete laws or pre-independence Acts” that have lost their utility.
On the Monday prior, Lok Sabha granted approval to the 2023 Advocates (Amendment) Bill, a legislative effort aimed at repealing the outdated Legal Practitioners Act of 1879 and introducing substantial changes to the Advocates Act of 1961. The Honorable Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice, Mr. Arjun Ram Meghwal, formally presented the bill in the esteemed setting of the Rajya Sabha on August 1st, garnering approval from the upper chamber on August 3rd.
This legislative endeavor aligns with the overarching policy directive of the Central government to eliminate obsolete legal statutes and pre-independence enactments that have fallen into disuse. The proposed amendments focus on aligning and refining the regulatory framework governing the legal profession under the authority of the Advocates Act of 1961. The obsolescence of the Legal Practitioners Act of 1879 is anticipated, except for a specific provision related to the prohibition of court touts.
Additionally, the bill incorporates Section 36, which deals with the authorization for the formulation and dissemination of lists of court touts, from the Legal Practitioners Act of 1879 into the body of the Advocates Act of 1961. This legislative consolidation is driven by the commendable goal of streamlining and reducing unnecessary statutory provisions within the legal domain.
