A second writ petition seeking to cancel the NLU Jodhpur-organised Common Law Admissions Test (CLAT) was heard in the Allahabad high court today.

A Kerala High Court writ petition by local lawyer Shojan Jacob, on Friday struck at the government’s blocking of websites and content in India under the controversial Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules 2011.

Exclusive: The Delhi High Court (HC) has dismissed advocate Balraj Singh Malik’s petition to abolish the advocates-on-record (AOR) classification of advocates on Monday.

Exclusive: 71 advocates out of around 400 test takers have passed the June 2011 advocates-on-record (AOR) examination, making them part of the oligopoly of at least 1,000 advocates who can file petitions before the Supreme Court. However, the Delhi High Court has now taken up a writ challenging the AOR system and has approached the apex court for guidance.

Exclusive: Right to Information (RTI) activist and Delhi University 2010 graduate Anoop Prakash Awasthi has partially won his petition seeking the Bar Council of India (BCI) to disclose the marks of bar examinees.

The writ petition against 31 foreign law firms in Chennai has been adjourned to 19 April following the Bar Council of India (BCI) having failed to hold a meeting to discuss the legal position of foreign lawyers.

Exclusive: The Delhi High Court has admitted law graduate Anoop Prakash Awasthi’s writ petition and issued notice to the Bar Council of India (BCI) to seek its response within three days on the question of whether marks should be disclosed to bar examinees.

Exclusive: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has today managed to get the bar exam petition filed by three former GLC Mumbai students transferred from the Bombay High Court to the Supreme Court (SC) after its counsel moved an affidavit urging the court to club together the ongoing litigation with other such challenges.

NUJS Kolkata professor Shamnad Basheer and a music company filed two public interest litigations (PILs) in the Madras High Court to mend gross “infirmities” and arbitrary “tribunalisation” in the constitution and functionality of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) and the Copyright Board.

Senior advocate and former additional solicitor general Abhishek Manu Singhvi yesterday argued for an early disposal of the Chennai writ petition against foreign law firms while the matter was once again adjourned after the Bar Council of India (BCI) counsel promised comprehensive guidelines regulating the activities of foreign law firms would be discussed at a meeting before the month-end.

Senior advocate and parliamentarian Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for the Dua Associates-led group of US firms in the Chennai writ petition against 31 foreign law firms today, asking the court to adjourn until after the Bar Council of India (BCI) would take a decisive stance this weekend.

The government appears to have scrapped plans to move the Chennai writ petition against 31 foreign law firms to the Supreme Court, as law firms Dua Associates and Kachwaha & Partners alongside a raft of senior counsel appeared for nine US firms, Slaughter and May, the LPO Integreon, and two Australian firms.

The petitioner’s plea for an injunction against the foreign firms was stayed for two weeks until the government and foreign firms could formulate responses.

The Indian government will attempt to move the Chennai writ petition against 31 foreign firms to the Supreme Court in order to take a “broader perspective” and make a “final decision” on the entry of foreign law firms said law minister Veerappa Moily, according to newspaper reports.

The 31 international law firms and one legal process outsourcing (LPO) company will now be served with notices to defend the Chennai writ petition that aims to prevent foreign firms practising any law in India.

Today, as the petitioner pressed for an injunction against the foreign firms, the government respondents’ counsels asked for time to file responses while the law ministry and Bar Council of India would “frame guidelines” on the issue.

Four further law students from Panjab University’s law department have challenged the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) proposed bar exam, following four cases in the past two weeks challenging various aspects of the exam.

Six law graduates have filed a writ petition challenging that the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) proposed all India bar exam should not prevent them from practising in courts.