The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Bar Council of India (BCI) to establish a National Legal Academy for advocates on the lines of the National Judicial Academy, which provides training to judges across the country.

A Bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe also called upon the BCI to strengthen professional standards within the legal profession by conducting a performance audit of its disciplinary mechanism and institutionalising a culture of continuing legal education for advocates.

"BCI shall establish a National Legal Academy for advocates like there is National Judicial Academy for judges," the Bench directed.

The observations came while the Court was hearing a petition challenging the Indian Banks' Association's (IBA) decision to include an advocate in its caution list after Canara Bank removed him from its panel over an allegedly incorrect legal opinion.

The Supreme Court held that merely alleging negligence could not justify placing an advocate on a caution list. It ruled that such inclusion was legally unsustainable.

The Bench clarified that while banks are free to appoint or remove advocates from their panels, they cannot publicly declare or circulate such actions by placing advocates on a caution list.

Emphasising the statutory role of the Bar Council, the Court held that issues concerning the professional conduct or misconduct of advocates fall exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Bar Council of India and other statutory regulatory bodies constituted under the Advocates Act.

The judgment underscores that disciplinary proceedings against advocates must be dealt with by the Bar Council and not by individual institutions through public blacklisting mechanisms, while also stressing the need for continuous professional training and robust disciplinary oversight within the legal profession.