disciplinary proceedings

Advocates ML Sharma and AP Singh, who have represented the 2012 Delhi gangrape convicts and recently made controversial and misogynistic comments in a documentary that was banned in India, have been served with three-week show cause notices by the Bar Council of India (BCI), which deliberated on the issue yesterday until after midnight, reported the Indian Express and others.

BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said: “We have issued the show cause notices to ML Sharma and AP Singh for their alleged remarks made in the documentary.”

Earlier yesterday evening, Legally India reported that the Delhi bar council had also decided to serve show cause notices on both lawyers.

The Delhi bar council will take suo motu action against advocates ML Sharma and AP Singh, who made controversial comments in a documentary about the December 2012 Delhi rapists.

The Kerala bar council's disciplinary committee has stayed an advocate's professional misconduct suspension for two months after an appeal by the advocate, against whom the bar council handed down a one year suspension for "proved misconduct" of a very serious nature for cheating the complainants in a land deal, "failing to uphold professional dignity" and neglecting his professional duty.

The New Indian Express reported that the Kottarakkara-based advocate also faced "other allegations" and was "involved in a criminal case", but he claimed that the allegations were false and he shouldn't be suspended. The disciplinary committee seemed to agree with, at least temporarily, according to the stay

The New York Times’ India Ink blog has interviewed the Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Manan Kumar Mishra who said that around 4,000 complaints were pending with the BCI, which is the state bar councils’ appellate body for disciplinary cases, while around 1.7 million lawyers were enrolled.

Exclusive: The Delhi bar council held an emergency meeting yesterday, ruling on allegations by its youngest member Rajesh Mishra’ that he was assaulted by a pistol-armed group of lawyers, including elected Delhi bar council member [...], following an altercation ostensibly over recognition of a local bar association.