LADC row ends as lawyers suspend agitation after CJI’s assurance on review of scheme
Ferozepur, August 4, 2026: The continued agitation by bar associations across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh against the Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) Scheme has been called off following assurances from Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant that the existing arrangement would be reviewed and no fresh appointments of LADCs would be made after September.
The decision to withdraw the agitation was announced by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) with immediate effect. Neel Rattan, Secretary, and Senior Advocate Ashwani Dhingra of the District Bar Association, Ferozepur, said the decision followed the assurances received from the Chief Justice of India and the judiciary.
Advocates had launched the agitation opposing the existing LADC system, expressing concern that the scheme was adversely affecting the independent Bar by creating a parallel mechanism for handling legal aid cases. The lawyers had been demanding a review and restructuring of the scheme, arguing that legal aid work should also provide opportunities to members of the regular Bar while maintaining the independence and dignity of the legal profession. The agitation had subsequently intensified, with advocates resorting to various forms of protest, including suspension of court work and hunger strikes.
The issue was taken up during a meeting between a delegation of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana and CJI Justice Surya Kant at the Supreme Court. Justice Vikram Nath, Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), was also present. Representatives of Bar Associations from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh apprised the CJI of their concerns regarding the impact of the LADC scheme on the independent Bar.
According to the Bar Council, Justice Surya Kant assured the delegation that no fresh appointments of Legal Aid Defence Counsels would be made after September. Until a new framework is introduced, legal aid cases would be allocated by District and Sessions Judges to members of the Bar in consultation with the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana and the Bar Associations concerned.
The CJI also indicated that a fresh legal aid scheme would be formulated after due consultation, balancing the interests of the legal fraternity with the need to ensure effective and accessible legal aid to the public.
Welcoming the development as “significant and constructive”, the District Bar Association expressed gratitude to the Chief Justice of India, Executive Chairman of NALSA, Bar Council of India and advocates whose united efforts contributed to the development.
The Bar Council said it would continue to work with all stakeholders to evolve a legal aid system that strengthens access to justice while safeguarding the independence, dignity and sustainability of the legal profession.