Bar Council of India Mandates Immediate Enforcement of Social Media & Digital Ethics Circular

The Bar Council of India, through Circular BCI/D/4659/2026 dated 17.07.2026, has ordered urgent and full-scale implementation of its directions relating to social media use, digital ethics, Court decorum, confidentiality and professional responsibility for advocates, law students and interns.

This direction is addressed to:

  • All State Bar Councils; and
  • All Centres of Legal Education, including universities, law colleges, and equivalent institutions.

The communication is not a mere forwarding of information. It requires each institution to actively operationalise the Circular, sensitise stakeholders, obtain formal undertakings, and put in place monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

Background and Core Objective of the Circular

The Bar Council of India has expressed concern about:

  • Misuse of Court premises and judicial proceedings for content creation
  • Improper handling of live-streamed Court proceedings
  • Misrepresentation or misuse of professional identity
  • Irresponsible publication or sharing of client, chamber or case-related material
  • Dissemination of misleading legal content online
  • Unregulated use of artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfakes, voice-cloned audio and other synthetic or manipulated material

The Circular seeks to safeguard:

  • The dignity of the legal profession
  • The sanctity of Court proceedings
  • Confidentiality and client protection
  • Integrity of legal information in digital spaces

Important: The Bar Council of India clarifies that the implementation of the Circular must always remain educational, preventive and proportionate, fully aligned with the Advocates Act, 1961, the Bar Council of India Rules, relevant Court rules and principles of natural justice. It specifically warns against misuse of the Circular for collateral purposes.

Scope of the Circular: Who Is Covered?

The directions are applicable to:

  • Advocates enrolled with any State Bar Council
  • Law students pursuing legal education at Centres of Legal Education
  • Interns, including those working under advocates, in chambers, law firms, legal departments, Courts or tribunals
  • Faculty and non-teaching staff involved in academic, training, internship or professional activities at Centres of Legal Education

The Bar Council of India expects individual awareness and compliance from every such person, and not merely institutional or collective circulation.

Forwarding of the BCI Circular: Mandatory Active Implementation

The communication issued by Srimanto Sen, Principal Secretary, Bar Council of India, clearly states that the enclosed Circular on social media conduct, digital ethics, Court decorum, confidentiality and professional responsibility is to be:

  • Immediately adopted
  • Effectively communicated
  • Institutionally implemented

The Circular explicitly states that:

Mere circulation or posting on a website or digital group does not amount to adequate compliance.

Each concerned body must take “effective and verifiable measures” to ensure that every regulated person becomes personally aware of, and bound by, the Circular’s contents.

All Centres of Legal Education – including universities, law colleges and other recognised law teaching institutions – have been given detailed, actionable directions.

1. Mandatory Circulation Within the Institution

Every Centre of Legal Education is required to promptly circulate the Circular to:

  • Teaching faculty
  • Non-teaching staff
  • Students (across all batches and programmes)
  • Research scholars
  • Interns
  • Faculty coordinators
  • Internship cell members
  • Legal aid cell personnel
  • Placement cell teams
  • Any other individual associated with academic, co-curricular, clinical, or professional activities

The obligation covers all stakeholders who may participate in Court visits, internships, legal aid work, moots, client interaction, or online legal content creation.

2. Sensitisation and Orientation: Beyond Mere Circulation

Centres of Legal Education must not limit themselves to passive forwarding of the Circular. They are directed to: