BCI makes a social media oath mandatory for law students, interns and new lawyers
New Delhi, July 18
The Bar Council of India has made it mandatory for law students, interns and newly enrolled advocates to give separate undertakings and affidavits promising to follow social media guidelines aimed at protecting the dignity of courts and the legal profession.
Under the new directions, every person seeking enrolment as an advocate will have to submit a separate sworn affidavit agreeing to follow the BCI's social media and digital ethics rules. Law students will also have to sign a separate undertaking at the time of admission and again before starting internships, acknowledging that they will follow the prescribed code of conduct.
The BCI has also directed all State Bar Councils, Bar Associations and law colleges to immediately implement the new guidelines. It has asked them to set up monitoring systems, create Digital Ethics Committees and ensure that students, interns and advocates are made aware of the new rules.
The circular says students and interns must not make reels or videos inside courts, chambers or law offices, record hearings or client meetings, disclose confidential case details, or post "day in court", "lawyer life" or similar content that trivialises the legal profession.
Advocates have also been advised not to create promotional content inside court premises, use court buildings or robes for social media branding, publish misleading legal content or client testimonials, or circulate edited clips of court proceedings.
The BCI has also prohibited AI-generated or deepfake content showing judges, lawyers or court proceedings in a misleading manner.
At the same time, the BCI clarified that the circular does not ban responsible legal education on social media. It said advocates and legal professionals can continue to share legal awareness content, explain judgments and discuss legal issues, provided the content is accurate, non-promotional, non-sensational and does not amount to advertising or promise legal results.
— ANI
Reader Comments
A very sensible move by BCI. Social media has become a circus these days. I remember when a junior advocate posted a TikTok from inside a courtroom - it was disrespectful to the judges and the entire system. However, making fresh graduates sign an affidavit feels a bit heavy-handed. Could have been a simple code of conduct.
As someone who worked in a law firm in Mumbai, I totally get this. We had an intern who recorded a client meeting thinking it was "cool content." The client was furious. These rules are about protecting confidentiality and dignity. But making it an oath? Bit dramatic, innit? Just have clear guidelines and enforce them.
Interesting development. In the UK, the Bar Standards Board has similar rules but they're not this formalized. The Indian legal profession is massive and social media misuse was bound to happen. I just wonder how they'll monitor this - Digital Ethics Committees in every college? Sounds like more bureaucracy. But the intent is good.
Finally! Someone is taking discipline seriously. I'm a practicing advocate and I've seen colleagues making promotional reels in court robes - it cheapens the profession. The AI/deepfake ban is especially important. With elections and sensitive cases, fake videos of judges could cause chaos. Well done BCI. But enforce it uniformly, not selectively.
I teach law in Bangalore and I have to say, some students don't realize the gravity of what they post. A few months ago, a student posted a client's case details on Instagram stories - almost got us into legal trouble. Rules are needed. But I'm
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