Three advocates have approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court challenging a series of sponsored advertisements and celebrity endorsements that allegedly commercialise legal services in violation of the Bar Council of India (BCI) Rules.
The petitioners — Advocates Prashant Upadhyay, Harsh Kushwaha, and Prashant Yadav — flagged advertisements on YouTube and Instagram where a popular actor, dressed in a judicial persona, urged viewers to purchase “the best online legal services” through fixed-price packages.
According to the plea, a cease-and-desist notice was first sent to YouTube on January 10, 2025. On February 21, the platform denied the applicability of the Advocates Act to such content. A detailed complaint was then filed before the BCI and the State Bar Council, but with no action forthcoming, the matter has now reached the High Court.
The petitioners argue that these portrayals reduce advocacy to an e-commerce commodity and directly contravene Rules 36 and 37 of the BCI Rules, which prohibit advertising, solicitation, and commercial promotion by advocates.
The plea highlights that such advertisements “mislead the public by projecting legal services in fixed price marketable packages, thereby undermining the dignity of the legal profession.”
Citing the Madras High Court’s ruling in PN Vignesh v. Bar Council of India (2024), the petitioners contend that online platforms cannot claim blanket safe-harbour protection when they promote unlawful content. They seek directions to hold platforms like YouTube and Instagram accountable for monetizing such content.
The petitioners have also prayed for:
- The removal of all sponsored advertisements, reels, and promotional content soliciting legal work;
- Monitoring mechanisms by the BCI, State Bar Councils, and relevant Union ministries to prevent recurrence;
- And depositing all unlawful gains from such activities into the Advocates’ Welfare Fund.
The matter is expected to test the boundaries of digital advertising, platform liability, and the traditional restrictions on lawyer promotions under the Advocates Act.
