
ABOUT AJK BAR COUNCIL
Azad Jammu & Kashmir Bar Council also known as AJK Bar Council is a statutory & deliberative assembly of lawyers in Azad Kashmir for safeguarding the rights,interests, and privileges of practicing lawyers, within Azad Kashmir. It is the highest elected body of the Lawyers in Azad Kashmir.
AJK Bar Council has twenty-seven elected Members from throughout the Azad Kashmir representing each District. The Members of the AJK Bar Council are elected based on a single transferable vote by Members of the District Bars. The Bar Council also elects its Vice-Chairman every year from amongst its elected Members.
The AJK Bar council exercises general control and supervision over the District Bar Associations and regulate the entry of lawyers into the legal profession. The main functions of the Bar Council are to admit persons fulfilling the requirements of law as Advocates entitled to practice before the High Court and Supreme Court of Azad Kashmir band to maintain Roll of such Advocates and to remove advocates from the said Roll. It also enjoys powers to entertain and determine cases of professional and other misconduct against Advocates of the High Court and Supreme Court and to award punishments in such cases. Some of the functions of the AJK Bar Council, under the Act, are given below: –
- to prepare and maintain a common roll of advocates.
- to admit persons as advocates entitled to practice before the High court and Supreme Court and to prepare and maintain a roll of such advocates and to remove advocates from such roll.
- to entertain and determine cases of misconduct against advocates of the High Court and Supreme Court and to award punishment in such cases.
- to lay down standard of professional conduct and etiquette for advocates.
- to lay down the procedure to be followed by its committees.
- to safeguard the rights, privileges and interest of advocates including initiation of measures for fair and inexpensive dispensation of justice by the subordinate Courts and tribunals.
- to promote and suggest law reform.
- to exercise general control and supervision over the District Bar Associations and to issue directions to them from time to time.
- to promote legal education and to prescribe standards of such education in consultation with the Universities in Azad Kashmir.
- to recognize universities whose degree in law shall be a qualification for enrolment as an advocate.
- to provide free legal aid.
- to hold conferences, seminars, moots lectures, jurist conferences and other meetings for promoting legal knowledge and learning in the legal profession.
As the AJK Bar Council function through its several Committees, it has constituted the following standing Committees on different subjects:
- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- ENROLMENT COMMITTEE SUPREME COURT
- ENROLMENT COMMITTEE HIGH COURT
- DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE SUPREME COURT
- DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE HIGH COURT
- AZAD JAMMU AND KASHMIR BAR COUNCIL TRIBUNAL
- APPLEATE ENROLMENT COMMITTEE FOR HIGH COURT
- FINANCE COMMITTEE
- LAW REFORMS AND RULES COMMITTEE
- LEGAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE
- PRIVILEGES COMMITTEE
- COMMITTEE OF APPEAL
- RESTORATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
- BENEVOLENT FUND COMMITTEE
- CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE
- ANTI CORRUPTION COMMITTEE
- KASHMIR COMMITTEE
- KASHMIR CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE
- PUBLICATION COMMITTEE
- FREE LEGAL AID COMMITTEE
- RELIEF COMMITTEE
- LAWYERS FOUNDATION