Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act, 1973 — section 59

59. Power to frame and publish lists of touts..—(1) Every High Court, District Judge, Sessions Judge, District Magistrate and every Revenue Officer, not being below the rank of a Collector of a District (each as regards their or his own Court and the Courts, if any, subordinate thereto), may frame and publish lists of persons proved, to their or his satisfaction, or to the satisfaction of any subordinate Court as provided in sub-section (3), by evidence of general repute or otherwise, to habitually act as touts, and may, from time to time, alter and amend such lists. Explanation:--The passing of a resolution, declaring any person to be or not to be a tout, by a majority of the members present at a meeting, specially convened for the purpose, of an association of persons entitled to practise the profession of law in any Court or revenue office shall be prima-facie evidence of the general repute of such person and of the fact that he is, or is not, a tout.

(2)No person's name shall be included in any such list until he shall have had an opportunity of showing cause against such inclusion.

(3)Any authority empowered under sub-section (1) to frame and publish a list of touts may send to any Court subordinate to such authority the names of any persons alleged or suspected to be touts, and order that Court to hold an inquiry in regard to such persons; and the subordinate Court shall thereupon hold an inquiry into the conduct of such persons and, after giving each such person an opportunity of showing cause as provided in sub-section (2), shall report to the authority which has ordered the inquiry the name of each such person who has been proved to the satisfaction of the subordinate Court to be a tout; and that authority may include the name of any such person in the list of touts framed and published by that authority: Provided that such authority shall hear any such person who, before his name is so included, appears before it and desires to be heard.

(4)A copy of every such list shall be kept hung up in every Court to which the same relates.

(5)The Court or Judge may, by general or special order, exclude from the precincts of the Court any person whose name is included in any such list.

(6)Any person who acts as a tout whilst his name is included in any such list shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three years or with fine, or with both. Explanation.--Any person ordered to be excluded from the precincts of a Court under the provisions of sub-section (5), if found on such precincts while such order is in force, shall be deemed, unless the contrary be proved, to be at such percincts for the purposes of acting as a tout. [(7) Omitted]

(8)An offence under sub-section (6) shall be non-bailable. [Omitted] [59A Omitted]