Broad meaning of "person aggrieved" under the Advocates Act allows a State Bar Council to appeal disciplinary orders.

The expression "person aggrieved" in section 38 of the Advocates Act, 1961 is construed broadly in light of the statutory scheme governing professional conduct, discipline, and the role of Bar Councils. A State Bar Council is not a mere complainant; it has a substantive institutional function in initiating and supervising disciplinary action and in protecting the standards and dignity of the legal profession. On that basis, a State Bar Council with a genuine grievance against an order of the Bar Council of India's disciplinary committee is entitled to maintain an appeal under section 38.

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Issues: Whether a State Bar Council is a "person aggrieved" entitled to maintain an appeal under section 38 of the Advocates Act, 1961 against an order of the disciplinary committee of the Bar Council of India.

Analysis: The expression "person aggrieved" in the appellate provision was construed in the setting of the statute, which entrusts the Bar Councils with the duty to maintain standards of professional conduct and etiquette, safeguard the rights and interests of advocates, and regulate disciplinary proceedings. The scheme of the Act shows that a State Bar Council does not merely receive complaints but plays a substantial statutory role in initiating and supervising disciplinary action, and its concern is not private or pecuniary but institutional and professional. In that context, the phrase was held to bear a wide meaning, sufficient to include a body which has a genuine grievance that an order prejudicially affects the standards and dignity of the profession.

Conclusion: The State Bar Council is a "person aggrieved" and can maintain an appeal under section 38 of the Advocates Act, 1961.

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