JUDGMENT

V. R. KRISHNA IYER, J.:— The petitioner appears in person and seeks permission to be represented by another person, who is not an advocate, falling within the definition in section 2 (a) of the Advocates Act, 1961. On an earlier occasion Sri R. K. Jain, Advocate of this court was requested to act as amicus curiae since the petitioner represented that he could not engage counsel. However, Sri Jain, for reasons which we need not go into here, has been discharged from the brief at his request. The short question that I have to decide here is whether a person who is not an advocate by profession, can be permitted to plead on behalf of the petitioner?

2. Advocates are entitled, as of right, to practise in this Court (Section 30 (i) of the Advocates Act. 1961). But, this privilege cannot be claimed, as of right, by any one else. While it is true that Art. 19 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom to practise any profession, it is open to the State to make a law imposing, in the interest of the general public, reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right. The Advocates act, by Section 29, provides for such a reasonable restriction, namely, that the only class of perso