New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking direction to the Bar Council of India (BCI) to frame non-gender-specific safety norms for lawyers in the country.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the petitioner NGO - Art of Learning Foundation - to approach BCI on this issue.

The petitioner has sought directions to the BCI to bring in guidelines ensuring the safety for all members of the legal fraternity including women as well as persons of the third gender.

The petitioner has also sought reservation for women and the third gender in the BCI.

--IANS ak/kr