Mumbai: Advocate Eijaz Naqvi has written to the Bar Council of India, the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa and various legal outfits, demanding the debarring of advocates who have declared ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’, which Naqvi has said, implies the advocates have two occupations.
“An advocate is Officer of Court, who is expected to uphold the Constitution of India and the rule of law, in the larger interest of justice. Those advocates who practise any other profession apart from law, should lose their licence to practise. Further, an advocate is not entitled to remove the prefix, ‘Adv’, and attach another like ‘chowkidar’ or ‘watchman’. Therefore I have asked the Bar Council of India and Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa to take action,” Naqvi has stated.
He further elaborates, “As far as ‘chowkidari’ or profession of watchman is concerned, it is different and in contrast to advocacy or the legal profession. In several cases, the Bar Council have a rule to the effect that no advocate while practising shall engage in a trade or business or accept an appointment carrying a salary without previously getting NOC from the Bar Council… Allowing an advocate for ‘chowkidar’ is not possible as per present law.”
He has forwarded the complaint to the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) for further action. The SCBA secretary, senior advocate, Vikrant Yadav, has said he will issue notices to all such advocates. After Congress party president Rahul Gandhi referred to PM Narendra Modi as ‘Chowkidar chor hai,” Modi started a campaign, ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’. This caught on, with his partymen and many professionals, including advocates who began calling themselves ‘chowkidars’.