New Delhi, January 27: The Supreme Court has directed the Bar Council of India (BCI) and the Bar Council of Telangana to respond to a plea challenging a rule from 2023, which disqualifies advocates from running in Bar Council elections if they have two or more serious criminal cases pending against them.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to both the BCI and the Bar Council of Telangana to address the plea, which questions the constitutional validity of Rule 4 under the Bar Council of India Rules, 2023.

The case arose from a petition filed by advocate Srinivas G, whose nomination for the State Bar Council elections was rejected by the returning officer. The rejection was based on the claim that Srinivas had not disclosed two pending criminal cases of a serious nature against him.