Published on : 31 Oct 2025, 12:43 pm 2 min read

The Supreme Court on Friday clarified that in-house counsel employed by corporates/ companies are not “advocates” within the meaning of law and cannot claim the privilege protecting attorney–client communications under Section 132 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) [ In Re: Summoning Advocates who give legal opinion or represent parties during investigation of cases or related issues ].

A Bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai , Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria held that the statutory protection of attorney-client privilege under Section 132 applies only to advocates engaged in the practice of law and not to company-employed legal advisors.

“In-house counsel will not be entitled to the privilege under Sect

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