FOUNDED 8 AUGUST 1959 · NEW DELHI · INDIA
The Bar
Association
of India
India's apex voluntary body of lawyers and bar associations - upholding the Constitution, advancing the rule of law, and carrying the voice of the Indian Bar to every forum where justice is at stake.
About the Association Our History
0 YEARS OF UPHOLDING RULE OF LAW.
0 JURIDICTIONS, ROL CONVENTION 2025.
0 MOUs INTERNATIONALLY.
0 THE INDIAN ADVOCATE, EST.
Global South Summit
11th BRICS+
Legal Forum
Rule of Law Frameworks and Institutional Capacity Building for Economic Resilience, Innovations and Sustainability
Date 22-23 August 2026
Location New Delhi, India
Details Coming Soon
BAI National Rule of Law Convention - 2026
Legal Reform Roadmap to a $10 Trillion Bharat
Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya KantChief Justice of India
Mr. Suman BeryVice Chairperson, NITI Aayog
Prof. S. Mahendra DevChairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
Mr. R. VenkataramaniAttorney General for India
Hon'ble Mr. Justice (Retd.) Dinesh MaheshwariChairman, Law Commission of India
Dates 11-12 April 2026, New Delhi
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LAWASIA
39th LAWASIA Conference 2026 (Annual Conference)
DateSeptember 14-16, 2026
LocationSeoul, South Korea
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UIA Congress
70th UIA Congress (International Association of Lawyers)
Date28 October - 1 November 2026
LocationMarrakech, Morocco
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Launching
BAI-Paris Bar Joint Webinar Series
DateJuly 17, 2026
LocationNew Delhi
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IBA 2026
Annual Conference of the International Bar Association
Date4-9 October
LocationBella Center, Copenhagen
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Milestones
 
1955-1958
The Case for a Unified BarIndia's First Law Commission, chaired by M.C. Setalvad, recommends in its 14th Report the creation of a unified, independent national bar. The report provides the intellectual foundation on which the Association will be built.
1959
The Association is FoundedOn 8 August 1959, the Bar Association of India comes into existence. M.C. Setalvad - India's first Attorney-General, the country's pre-eminent jurist, and the principal author of the First Law Commission's vision - becomes Founder President. Dr. K.M. Munshi and Solicitor General C.K. Daphtary stand alongside him as co-founders.
1960
Inauguration, and an Indian Voice at Lincoln's InnOn 2 April 1960, President Rajendra Prasad formally inaugurates the Association at Vigyan Bhavan in the presence of Prime Minister Nehru and the Chief Justice of India. Later that year, Setalvad delivers the Hamlyn Lectures at Lincoln's Inn, London - the first scholar from a non-English-speaking country to receive that honour - speaking on 'The Common Law in India.' Back home, the Association launches a lecture series that brings the ambassadors of the United States, Poland, and Switzerland to address the Indian Bar on their respective constitutional traditions.
1961
The Advocates Act, and a Code of Ethics for the ProfessionThe Advocates Act, 1961 fundamentally reshapes the legal profession, establishing a unified All-India Bar. The Association responds with a landmark Seminar on Professional Ethics in Delhi, out of which emerges a Code of Professional Ethics for Indian lawyers. Two standing committees - on Legal Aid and on the Problems of the Junior Bar - are constituted, marking the beginning of the Association's sustained engagement with access to justice.
1962
A National Law Conference, and Legal Aid for Soldiers' FamiliesWorking with the Indian Law Institute, the Association co-hosts the Third All India Law Conference at Vigyan Bhavan. The conference reconstitutes the Committees on Fundamental Rights and Legal Aid. That same year, with the Ministry of Defence's endorsement, the Association establishes a scheme of free legal aid for the families of defence personnel - one of India's earliest organised pro bono initiatives.
1966
Co-Founding LAWASIAAt a conference in Canberra convened jointly with the Law Council of Australia, the Association helps establish the Law Association for Asia and the Western Pacific - LAWASIA. The first All-India Bar Council Conference is also held at Jaipur. Both events mark the Association's simultaneous deepening of national and international legal architecture.
1968
International Jurists Conference on Freedom of MovementIn the year the United Nations designates as International Human Rights Year, the Association hosts the International Jurists Conference in Bangalore. Delegates from across Asia deliberate on freedom of movement as a fundamental human right, calling for streamlined passport and visa regimes and recommending the creation of a regional human rights body modelled on the Council of Europe.
1971
India Hosts the Commonwealth Law ConferenceNew Delhi plays host to the Fourth Commonwealth and Empire Law Conference - inaugurated by the President of India and attended by approximately 1,000 delegates from across the Commonwealth. It is the most ambitious legal gathering the Association has organised to this point, and it establishes a template for India's role as a convener of international legal dialogue.
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