Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that foreign law firms would not be allowed to practice in India but, foreign lawyers could visit the country to render legal advice to their clients.

A bench consisting justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Rohinton Nariman upheld the 2012 Madras High Court judgement allowing foreign lawyers to visit India. The court’s ruling came on an appeal by the Bar Council of India against the Madras High Court judgement.

Justice Goel stated that the lawyers could visit the country on a “fly in and fly out” basis.

The court also said that foreign lawyers were allowed to come to India to conduct arbitration proceedings in connection with disputes involving international commercial arbitration. However, the lawyers would be subject to the code of conduct of India.

First Published:Mar 13, 2018 9:33 AM IST