A south-Delhi based advocate, Mr. Shakeel Khan, who had painted his number with the words “specialist in divorce and court manners” has been suspended for eight weeks by the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD).
The act of lawyers advertising themselves or soliciting work through any means violates Rule 36 of the Bar Council of India rules and also attracts charges under the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 2007. A preliminary enquiry was consucted before handing the advocate the suspension and issued a show-cause notice to him questioning why his name should not be removed from the Bar Counil’s rolls.
The BCD opined that advertisement is against the professional ethics expected of an advocate and is considered to be misconduct. Unlike other professions that can be classified as trade or business, the legal profession was stated to be a noble one.
