LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) on a petition challenging the proposed new eligibility criteria for candidates contesting the provincial bar councils` elections.

`Subject to the question of maintainability, let pre-admission notice be issued to respondents 7 & 8,` JusticeKhalid Ishaq said in his written order issued about the hearing the other day.

The judge had reserved his decision on the point of maintainability of a petition filed by two candidates -Fahad Ikram Bhatti and Imran Fazalagainst the proposed amendment to the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act 1973.

In his order, the judge noted that the petitioners pressed for any anticipatory injunctions and only sought issuance of notice to the bar councils for submission of their replies.

The judge sought replies from the PBC and PbBC by July 29.

The petition contends that the provincial bar council elections are scheduled to be held in November this year and candidates have already been running their campaigns.

It states that the government is introducing new eligibility requirements for the bar council candidates, which is not appropriate at this stage.

The petition asks the court to restrain the implementation of the new eligibility criteria for candidates in the upcoming provincial bar council elections.

A Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice recently approved significant amendments to the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, proposing stricter eligibility requirements for candidates contesting the bar council elections.

The changes include raising a candidate`s eligibility requirement of enrollment as a high court advocate from five to 10 years, besides the condition of having handled at least 30 individual cases.