NEW DELHI:
The Supreme Court
+ on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking to ban lawmakers from practising as advocates during their tenure.
The
SC bench of CJI Dipak Misra
+ and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said that there is no bar under the Bar Council of India Rules to debar the legislators from practising in court.
The order came after a PIL was filed by BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking to bar lawyer-lawmakers (MPs, MLAs, MLCs) from practising in courts during their tenure in legislature.
The bench had earlier taken note of the Centre's submission that an MP or an MLA is an elected representative and not a full-time employee of the government, hence the plea was not maintainable.
However, senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, appearing for Upadhyay, had told the court that a lawmaker draws a salary from the public exchequer and a salaried employee is debarred by the Bar Council of India from practising in the courts of law.
To this, the bench had replied that employment postulates a master-servant relationship and the government of India is not the master of a Member of Parliament.
The petition said that while a public servant cannot practice as an advocate, legislators are practising in various courts which was a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.
The petition also pointed out that the MPs have the power of voting on the impeachment of judges of the
Supreme Court and the high courts.
(Agency inputs)
