BCI Slams Kerala HC Judge, Warns CJI Suryakant: 'Don't Mistake Silence for Weakness'

• The Bar Council of India (BCI) expressed strong displeasure over a Kerala High Court judge's remarks regarding State Bar Council elections.
• BCI wrote to CJI Suryakant on January 26, calling the judge's comments baseless and careless, and warned against mistaking their restraint for weakness.
• The dispute arose from a petition challenging election nomination fees, despite Supreme Court orders that High Courts should not hear such matters.
• BCI clarified that the Rs 1.25 lakh nomination fee stays with the State Bar Council, and BCI spends Rs 20 crore from its own funds for election committees.
• BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra urged CJI Suryakant to intervene and warned of collective protest and legal action if such attacks on lawyer bodies continue.

Why It Matters: BCI warns against judicial overreach in Bar Council elections, asserting its authority and financial transparency.