Digital service platform Sulekha has taken its battle to the Supreme Court, challenging a directive from the Madras High Court that ordered platforms like Sulekha, Quikr, and JustDial to remove lawyer advertisements. This development follows the Court’s July order, which called on the Bar Council of India (BCI) to initiate complaints against online platforms that host ads soliciting legal services.
A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti, hearing Sulekha’s appeal on November 11, issued a notice and tagged it with a similar plea filed by JustDial. The Supreme Court’s order asked for a response within four weeks, though it refused to stay the High Court’s decision in the meantime.
The Madras High Court’s July directive came after petitioner PN Vignesh sought action against digital platforms that display online lawyer ads. The court expressed strong concerns over the “branding culture” in the legal profession, emphasizing that online ratings and reviews offered by such platforms can be misleading and do not align with the principles of the Advocates Act and the BCI Rules. Rule 36 of the Bar Council of India Rules explicitly prohibits lawyers from advertising or soliciting work directly or indirectly.
The Madras High Court highlighted concerns that these online platforms appear to “sell legal services” by promoting specific lawyers and offering their services at set prices. The court ordered the BCI to formulate new guidelines, instructing state bar councils to take disciplinary action against lawyers advertising services. Furthermore, it called for digital platforms to refrain from future lawyer ads, effectively banning such content across their websites.
Both Sulekha and JustDial argue that the High Court’s ruling fails to recognize their intermediary role, rather than actively promoting or profiting from individual lawyers. Their pleas, pending before the Supreme Court, suggest that this issue raises broader questions about the role of digital platforms as intermediaries and how such platforms intersect with legal profession regulations.
Representing Sulekha in the Supreme Court are advocates Ankur Khandelwal, Utkarsh Sharma, and Sahil Siddiqui. In August, the Court also issued notice on a similar plea from JustDial, seeking clarity on the compliance of online ads with the Advocates Act.
As digital advertising continues to expand into professional services, the Supreme Court’s eventual decision could set a precedent on how online platforms and the legal profession interact, potentially shaping the future of legal advertising in India.
