The Parliament's Judiciary Committee decided today to pass the amendment as proposed by the government.
Bar Council will gain full autonomy once the Attorney General is removed from its Executive Committee, as proposed in the amendment to the Bar Council Act, the council said.
The government has put forward an amendment to the Bar Council Act that seeks to remove the Attorney General from the Bar Council's Executive Committee.
Speaking at the Parliament's Judiciary Committee on the issue, Bar Council President Hussain Siraj stated that Attorney General Ahmed Usham had shared details of the proposed amendment with the council, to which the council expressed no objections.
When questioned by a committee member about the challenges posed by the Attorney General's presence on the Bar Council, Siraj said that many council members believe that the Attorney General's presence on the ExCo undermines their independence.
He said that some lawyers working in the Attorney General's Office are also part of the Bar Council, making it difficult for them to express their views freely in meetings chaired by the Attorney General.
"Many members of the Bar Council believe that the autonomy of the Bar Council is compromised when the state's Attorney General is a member of the Executive Committee," Siraj said.
Siraj further said that the Attorney General’s demanding schedule often makes it difficult to attend meetings regularly.
"There are often difficulties for the Attorney General to attend meetings due to the responsibilities of his role," he said.
Despite the proposed changes, Siraj said that Attorney General Usham has assured to providing full cooperation from the state, even if the Attorney General is no longer part of the Bar Council.
The Parliament's Judiciary Committee decided today to pass the amendment as proposed by the government.
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