By NNN-PTI,
London : Foreign law firms may soon operate from India and the Bar Council shall not be able to resist their entry, says Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan.
“I don’t think the Bar Council of India can continue to resist (the proposal to allow foreign law firms to operate in India),” the Chief Justice said here on Friday evening while delivering the keynote address on ‘Judicial Reforms in India’ organised by the Indo-EU Business Forum.
“I cannot give you a time-frame but this (the proposal) is being handled at the senior level and it will be done,” the CJI said.
Law minister H R Bhardwaj had recently said that the legal fraternity in India should view the possibility of the entry of foreign law firms as an opportunity to grow and enjoy the “fruits of litigation” by setting up partnership firms.
Asked if UK law firms can be allowed to do transactional work with the objective of facilitating foreign investment in India, Justice Balakrishnan said “It should be decided by the BCI. I am sure it will come soon. Discussion between the BCI and its British counterpart has started. It may happen shortly and it will be helpful.”
India’s High Commissioner to the UK Shiv Shankar Mukherjee struck an optimistic note saying “Of course it is going to happen.”
Justice Balakrishnan also dwelt at length on the large number of cases pending in Indian courts and steps taken to deal with the issue.
Justice Arijit Pasayat of Supreme Court voiced concern over the heavy backlog of cases in various Indian courts and felt unless something was done about it “the whole judicial system may get crushed under the weight of arrears.”