Lawyers lose grip on India parliament seats

May, 12 2014

Lawyers are on a steady decline in terms of their representation in the lower house of the Lok Sabha, falling from taking over a third of seats in 1952 to accounting for just six oer cent of candidates in the current elections.

Lawyers are on a steady decline in terms of their representation in the lower house of the Lok Sabha, accounting for just 6% of candidates in the current elections. BasPhoto

Farmers make up the biggest group now (17 per cent of candidates). Jagdeep Chhokar, founder member of National Election Watch, said: ‘Lawyers made up a big part of the Constituent Assembly [the body which wrote up the constitution] and the early Lok Sabhas. But there has been a decline in the integrity of the profession, and concurrently, its role in nation-building.’ For the moment, however, the lawyers still outrun some groups seeking power - including the five astrologers, the two beggars, two story-tellers and the consultant on pyramid-building. Source: The Hindu