Draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026 Released for Stakeholder and Public Consultation

📌 Summary:

• A draft of the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026, prepared in consultation with the Bar Council of India (BCI), has been placed by the BCI for stakeholder consultation

• The BCI hosted the draft Bill on its official website (barcouncilofindia.org) on 18 July 2026, inviting comments and suggestions from all stakeholders

• Comments and suggestions may be submitted to the Bar Council of India on or before 31 July 2026 (3:00 PM), at the designated draft-Bill email address and at the Legal Ministry's LMP Cell address

• Inputs received during the consultation will be examined by the Department

• The Department of Legal Affairs stated it remains committed to a transparent, participative and consultative legislative process, in line with the evolving needs of the legal profession and the goals of Viksit Bharat @2047

• The parent statute being amended is the Advocates Act, 1961, which governs legal education, enrolment and professional conduct of advocates in India

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 (Constitution and Polity — judiciary and the legal profession; Governance — pre-legislative consultation as a democratic practice). Notably, an earlier 2025 draft of the same Bill had drawn nationwide protests from the bar, making the consultative route itself significant.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Parent Act: Advocates Act, 1961

• Regulator of the legal profession: Bar Council of India (BCI), a statutory body under the Advocates Act, 1961

• Draft Bill hosted on the BCI website on 18 July 2026; deadline for comments 31 July 2026, 3:00 PM

• Nodal ministry: Ministry of Law and Justice (Department of Legal Affairs)

🔑 Key Term: Pre-legislative consultation — the practice of placing a draft Bill in the public domain before its introduction in Parliament so that affected stakeholders and citizens can submit comments, as recommended by the Pre-Legislative Consultation Policy, 2014.