Alok Singh
On June 5, 2025, while speaking at the ‘Arbitrating Indo‑UK Commercial Disputes’ conference in London, the Chief Justice of India, Justice B. R. Gavai, praised the decision of the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) resolution to permit foreign lawyers and firms. CJI Gavai noted that this decision underscores the increasing relationships between the legal and business sectors between India and the United Kingdom.
Currently, under the new rules of 14 May 2025, foreign legal practitioners are allowed to engage only in non-litigious matters. These include international commercial arbitration, advisory services, and transactional work involving foreign or international law. They are not allowed to appear in Indian courts or take part in legal disputes.
CJI Gavai stated that the move would introduce the best practices across the globe into the Indian arbitration framework and raise the overall quality of dispute resolution. The new rules ensure foreign participation without undermining domestic legal talent by protecting the rights of Indian lawyers.
From the legal point of view, this aligns with the recent commitments to the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act (post-2019), which aims to reduce judicial intervention and uphold arbitration autonomy.
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