Bar council agrees to keep in abeyance suspension of 5,970 advocates
Chennai: In a reprieve to 5,970 advocates suspended from practice due to non-payment of subscription fees to the Advocates Welfare Fund, the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has agreed to keep the suspension order in abeyance for two weeks.
However, coming down heavily on the defaulting advocates and the Madras High Court Advocates Association for challenging the suspension order instead of clearing the pending fees, a division bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and R Pongiappan said Tuesday, "If you cannot even pay the fee which comes around Rs 3,000, what is the point in practising?"
"Understand the purpose for which such funds are created. If you do not want such benefit, just file an affidavit to that effect," the bench said.
To this, the counsel for the association contended that they were not opposing the fund or payment of subscription, but the suspension order issued to the advocates without any notice.
"The advocates have not committed any professional misconduct or criminal offence to face such action. Moreover the Bar Council of India (BCI) can suspend a lawyer only on disciplinary grounds and not for failure to pay subscription," the counsel said.
Senior counsel R Singaravelan, representing the bar council, submitted that each defaulting advocate has been put on notice eight times through various means.
About 4,021 such notices had been returned since the addresses provided by them were not clear, he said.
Hinting that a considerable chunk of advocates facing the suspension may be fake or non-practising advocates, he said the council expected that hundreds of lawyers would approach it for payment after the suspension order was issued.
"But so far only 12 have cleared the dues. Moreover, the suspension order itself is very clear that the suspension is only till payment of the pending fees," he said.
Singaravelan said the council traced the e-mail of a person in the suspension list and mailed him about the pending payment, to which he replied that he was currently employed in Dubai and considering practising law after three years.
Recording the submissions, the bench asked the senior counsel for the BCI whether he could keep the order in abeyance for two weeks so that some more time could be given for compliance.
Agreeing to it, Singaravelam insisted that each advocate appear in person to prove their identity to make the payment.
Recording the same, the court posted the plea to April 9 for further hearing.
On March 22, the council had suspended 5,970 advocates from practising law till they paid pending subscription of the Advocates Welfare Fund
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India misses 2025 TB elimination target; cases stand at 185 per 100,000 population
New Delhi: India reported an estimated 2.7 million tuberculosis cases in 2025 which translates into an incidence of 185 cases per 100,000 population, according to the latest official update on the disease burden.
The figure is more than four times the elimination benchmark set under the National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis. The plan had aimed to bring down incidence to 44 cases per 100,000 population and mortality to three per 100,000 by 2025. The target was announced in March 2017 and was set five years ahead of the global End TB goals and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Data indicate that TB notifications have increased by 13 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels, as IndiaSpend reported in July 2025. Public health experts have said higher notification does not necessarily reflect a rise in incidence, but indicate improved case detection. Authorities have stepped up efforts to improve reporting and plug gaps in diagnosis and treatment, under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
According to a 2019 study published in PLOS Medicine, the most substantial gap occurs during the testing stage, with nearly half of those with incident tuberculosis not receiving diagnostic tests. Experts say stigma, restricted availability to molecular testing, and dependence on sputum microscopy continue to impede early detection.
According to official data, 19.3 million smear microscopy tests were performed in 2023, compared to 6.83 million molecular tests using the CBNAAT/GeneXpert and Truenat platforms, indicating that smear-based diagnosis will continue to be used. While doctors report inconsistent implementation across regions, legislation mandates 100% molecular testing for suspected tuberculosis patients.
Health officials point to the increase of diagnostic infrastructure, which includes approximately 10,000 Nucleic Acid Amplification Test equipment and over 25,000 microscopy centers across the country. Eexperts identify operational difficulties such as specimen transportation, machine maintenance, supplier chains, and unequal distribution of skilled staff.
Under the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, the government has expanded active case-finding in high-risk areas and identified 1.58 lakh vulnerable villages and urban wards using an AI-based mapping tool. Under which the latest campaign document states that of the 2.73 million cases reported in 2025, 35 per cent were asymptomatic.
Specialists warn that up to half of microbiologically diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients may not show characteristic symptoms, contributing to continuous community transmission. To increase early diagnosis of drug resistance, it is advised that chest X-rays and molecular testing be used more frequently.
Specialists warn that up to half of microbiologically diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients may not show characteristic symptoms, contributing to continuous community transmission. To increase early diagnosis of drug resistance, it is advised that chest X-rays and molecular testing be used more frequently.
The government increased financial aid for Tuberculosis patients under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana to ₹1,000 per month, as the disease is mostly linked with malnutrition and poor living conditions and those with a BMI less than 18.5 are given energy-dense nutritional supplements for the first two months of therapy.
