CJI Khehar supports Entry of Foreign Lawyers but on the Basis of Reciprocity

July 10,2017:

He stated that,"Opening up the India's legal field to the foreign players would improve system and the Indian lawyers should have no apprehensions that they would take away their business".

CJI JS Khehar has supported the entry of the foreign lawyers into the Indian legal sector but stated that this should be on basis of reciprocity between their countries.

"But the reciprocity has to be insisted upon," asserted Chief Justice Khehar while inaugurating All India Seminar of the International Law Association.

He added that the Indian legal profession had grown over the short period of less than 70 years "to possibly become world's largest and most influential in matter of governance".

He pointed out that while Bar Council of India had been opposing entry of the foreign lawyers into the Indian legal system, now body and Society of Indian Law Firms have agreed "in principle" with Government's proposal to gradually open up legal sector to the foreign players, but insist, that this should be on the reciprocal basis.

CJI stated that Advocates Act, 1961, does not permit foreign lawyers to practice law in India, but Act acknowledges that if some country permits the Indian lawyers to practice in its jurisdiction, then the lawyers from that country can be granted reciprocal privileges in India.

India has close to 1.2 million lawyers, whose professional conduct is regulated by Bar Council of India and State Bar Councils.