Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Monday granted relief to two advocates whose applications for civil judge posts were rejected due to the absence of provisional practice certificates. The Bar Council of Gujarat (BCG) had not issued these certificates as their law colleges were not recognized by the Bar Council of India (BCI).

After the candidates approached the high court, Justice Nirzar Desai issued a notice to the HC administration and the BCG, seeking their responses by February 27.

Meanwhile, the Bar Council of Gujarat has been directed to issue provisional certificates of practice to the petitioners, and the High Court has been instructed to allow them to participate in the recruitment process for the post of civil judge to a limited extent.

The petitioners, LLB graduates from government-aided law colleges in Surat and Bhuj, were affected by the BCI’s derecognition of these institutions. Last year, they were provisionally enrolled for the All India Bar Examination based on an HC order, which made their practice licenses conditional on the outcome of the colleges’ petitions against derecognition.

Their lawyer, Sudhanshu Jha, argued that the BCG had been ordered to grant provisional certificates in an interim HC ruling in October. The petition stressed that the candidates should not suffer due to the BCG’s inaction, as it would cost them a crucial year and impact their seniority.