Union Human Resource Development, HRD, Minister Kapil Sibal clarified that he was not curtailing the powers of Bar Council of India (BCI) over legal education by introducing the Higher Education and Research (HER) Bill.
The Minister said he was not touching the powers of the BCI and the right to give degrees to practicing lawyers will remain with it.
Sibal was speaking at a function in New Delhi organised by the BCI to felicitate him and Union Minister of Law and Justice Salman Khurshid.
The bill has been facing strong opposition from the apex lawyers' body which has alleged that it is aimed at usurping the BCI's control over legal education.
Sibal that there are other steps needed to be taken in the legal field, adding that several ministers in the government are from legal fraternity and this is a great opportunity to do something for the profession.
Salman Khurshid, speaking at the programme, said that now the lawyers should move ahead of agitation as change is required in the judicial system and it should be welcomed.
Earlier, BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra claimed that powers of advocates were being curtailed .
Apart from the HER Bill, the BCI is also opposed to the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2010, the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and operations) Bill, 2010 and the National Law School Bills, 2011.
The apex lawyers' body is opposing the proposed bills on the ground that entry of foreign institutions would become easier and several of its functions under the Advocates Act, 1961 are likely to be taken away by the government