BCI Directs Law Colleges to Obtain Student Undertakings on Social Media Conduct Before Admissions and Internships

July 19, 2026 : The Bar Council of India (BCI) has directed all law colleges across the country to obtain a written undertaking from every student at the time of admission and before each internship, affirming their commitment to professional ethics, confidentiality and responsible conduct on social media and digital platforms.

In a circular issued on July 17, the BCI mandated the immediate implementation of comprehensive guidelines on social media conduct, digital ethics, court decorum, confidentiality and professional responsibility for law students, interns and advocates.

Under the mandatory undertaking, students must agree not to record, upload or share court proceedings, chamber discussions, virtual hearings, client meetings, internal office discussions, court corridor videos or AI-generated content depicting courts, judges, litigants or legal proceedings. They are also prohibited from creating “lawyer life” reels, “day in court” videos, “internship reveal” posts or “courtroom drama” content that trivialises the legal profession.

The BCI emphasised that internships are intended to instill professional ethics and legal skills, not to promote personal branding or social media popularity. Students have been warned against disclosing confidential client information, sharing sensitive legal work or publishing content that compromises the dignity and integrity of the legal profession.

The circular further directs all law colleges to conduct formal orientation and sensitisation programmes explaining the guidelines, expected standards of professional conduct and the consequences of violations. These norms must also be incorporated into institutional policies governing admissions, internships, legal aid programmes, moot courts, placements and student discipline.

Faculty members and internship coordinators have been instructed to brief students on these standards before they begin internships in courts, tribunals, law firms, advocates’ chambers, legal offices or public authorities. Every institution must also appoint a nodal officer or institutional monitoring group to oversee implementation, maintain complaint records and undertake first-level reporting wherever required.

Law colleges have been asked to preserve records of student undertakings, orientation programmes, circulation of the circular and all compliance measures, and produce them before the BCI or the concerned State Bar Council whenever required.

Recognising that some students may violate the guidelines out of inexperience or lack of awareness, the BCI stated that the initial response should generally be corrective and educational. However, deliberate, repeated, commercial or scandalous violations, disclosure of confidential information, contemptuous conduct or breaches of court rules may be reported to the concerned court, Bar Council, educational institution or any other competent authority for appropriate action.