The Karnataka High Court has ruled that law graduates from any state in India can enroll with any State Bar Council under Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961, removing restrictions based on where they earned their law degree.
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BENGALURU: In a ruling that upholds the rights of aspiring advocates across India, the Karnataka High Court has held that the State Bar Council cannot deny enrollment to law graduates who obtained their degrees from institutions outside Karnataka.
The judgment came in response to a Writ Petition filed by an advocate seeking a direction to the Karnataka State Bar Council to enroll him as an advocate under the provisions of the Advocates Act, 1961, and the rules framed thereunder.
Court’s Observation
Justice Suraj Govindaraj, while delivering the order, observed that there is no restriction in the Advocates Act or in the Bar Council rules that limits enrollment to candidates who have studied law only within a particular state.
“The petitioner has passed out of a college which is affiliated to respondent No.1 and there being no restriction or requirement for the State Bar Council to register only persons who have passed out within that particular State and in view of Section 24 of the Advocates Act,”
— observed Justice Suraj Govindaraj.
Counsel Submissions
During the proceedings, on an enquiry with the Counsel for the Bar Council of India (BCI), it was clarified that there is no restriction for enrollment based on the location of the law college. The BCI counsel submitted that any person who has graduated from a recognized law college in India may apply for enrollment with any State Bar Council of their choice, as per Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961.
She further explained that procedural requirements arise only when an advocate seeks transfer of registration from one State Bar Council to another.
In light of these submissions and legal provisions, the Court allowed the petition, directing the Karnataka State Bar Council to enroll the petitioner as an advocate.
Appearance:
Petitioner: Advocate Vaibhav Ravi Malimath
Respondent: Advocates Anubha Srivastava, T.P. Vivekananda
Case Title:
Sri Rajashekar v. Bar Council of India
WRIT PETITION NO. 24401 OF 2025 (GM-RES)
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