'Digital Space Increasingly Used for Misinformation': Bar Council of India Issues Strict Social Media Guidelines

New Delhi: The Bar Council of India (BCI) issued stringent guidelines to maintain “dignity, restraint and professional ethics” in the use of social media by advocates, law students and legal interns in a comprehensive circular dated July 17.  

 The move comes in response to curb social media misuse following the “growing trend of courtroom reels, internship videos and legal content being shared on social media, which the council says risks compromising the dignity of the legal profession and confidentiality expected in legal practice,” as per a report by Times of India.  

 The circular proscribes advocates and law students from engaging with social media and artificial intelligence-generated material that trivialises the courtroom proceedings or any other aspect of legal practice. Furthermore, the council noted that “the digital space is increasingly being used for legal misinformation by persons who are not enrolled advocates.”  

 Consequently, the BCI has emphasised that “positive use of social media is not prohibited, including short-form legal education through reels, shorts, videos, podcasts or similar formats, provided such content is accurate, contextual, non-soliciting, does not disclose confidential information and does not reduce complex legal issues to misleading assurances of outcomes,” The Hindu reported. 

The circular directs all Centres of Legal Education and State Bar Councils to immediately circulate it and ensure that the provisions mentioned in it are implemented in an educative, preventive and proportionate manner, while remaining consistent with the Advocates Act, 1961, and the Bar Council of India Rules.  

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.