Bar Council of India bans courtroom reels, issues social media rules for lawyers

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has implemented a new digital ethics code, prohibiting lawyers and law students from producing reels and promotional content within court premises. The circular, issued Friday, also warns against using live-streamed court proceedings to mock or scandalize the judiciary for online entertainment.

This directive follows a recent incident where a litigant disrupted Supreme Court proceedings. The BCI's new rules aim to maintain the dignity and decorum of the courts and the legal profession. Lawyers and law students are barred from creating reels, videos, or photographs on court premises, corridors, or judicial buildings in a manner inconsistent with professional standards. The use of legal attire for public display or social media performances is also prohibited.

“

The circular prohibits lawyers, law students and interns from making reels, videos, photographs or promotional content inside court premises, courtrooms, corridors, Bar rooms, chambers or judicial buildings in a manner inconsistent with the dignity and decorum of the court and the profession.

However, the BCI clarified that the rules do not constitute a complete ban on short-form legal content. Uploading educational reels, shorts, or brief videos is permitted, provided the content is accurate, contextual, non-soliciting, and does not offer misleading assurances about legal outcomes. The circular emphasizes that complex legal questions should not be oversimplified into misleading guarantees.

To enforce these regulations, the BCI has directed state bar councils and associations to appoint social media ethics nodal officers. Lawyers are required to provide a signed undertaking at the time of enrollment, affirming their commitment to professional conduct concerning social media, digital platforms, data privacy, and AI usage. For existing practitioners, the BCI encourages members to sign a stakeholder adoption declaration to uphold these standards.

“

Every candidate seeking enrolment as an advocate may be required, as part of the enrolment record and orientation process, to execute a separate sworn affidavit acknowledging the standards of professional conduct relating to social media, digital platform.