NEW DELHI, Dec 4: A bill which aims to regulate the legal profession by a single act and seeks to target ‘touts’ was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday with Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal saying there should be no role of touts in the country’s courts.
“The legal profession is a noble profession. The law commission was given a mandate to bring judicial reforms as per new circumstances. There should be no role of touts in the court premises in the country. Hence, it was felt that in the amendment there should be provisions related to touts,” Meghwal said.
Initiating the debate, Karti Chidambaram of the Congress said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice and touts thrive because of the complexity in dealing with our legal system.
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“Because of the asymmetry in our society in terms of education, access to people in authority and wealth, sometimes people do not know how to navigate the legal system. This is what is being exploited and some people step in as touts. Touts thrive because of the complexity in dealing with our legal system,” the Sivaganga MP said.
“We largely welcome the amendment…however, I urge the government to focus on the big fish rather than targeting the touts in the small courts,” he added.
The Rajya Sabha had passed the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023, during the monsoon session.
The bill provides that every high court and district judge can frame and publish lists of touts (those who procure clients for legal practitioners in return for any payment).
According to the provisions, people named in the list of touts will be excluded from entering the court premises. Any violation of this provision will entail punishment with imprisonment of up to three months and a fine. (PTI)
