By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi Bar Council Monday told the Delhi High Court that it would withdraw a circular issued this year barring law graduates above 45 years of age from registering as lawyers and practising in the Delhi courts.
The council in an application said it was withdrawing the circular in the larger interest of many law graduates.
A bench headed by Justice Vikramajit Sen asked the Bar to submit the minutes of the meeting, which decided to withdraw the circular. The matter was adjourned till Nov 22.
On March 26, 2007, a division bench, after hearing a petition filed by a group of law students, had issued notice to the bar council.
The petition had sought an explanation from the bar council saying the circular infringed upon their fundamental rights.
“The students contended the impugned rule violated their fundamental rights and it discriminated against all people above 45 years. This rule not only prohibited those people who wanted to join the legal profession after retirement, but put a blanket ban on all those people who had attained the age of 45 and were otherwise qualified to be enrolled as advocates,” the petition said.
The petitioners also said that neither the Bar Council of India nor the state Bar Council had the power to make a rule to exclude people above 45 years from getting registered as lawyers if they were otherwise qualified.
The court was informed that the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu had also introduced upper age limit for registration as a lawyer, but the Madras High Court had struck it down.