The Supreme Court questions the Bar Council of India on waiving All India Bar Exam fees for poor law graduates. Court criticizes “phenomenally high fees” and seeks answers within two weeks.
New Delhi: Today, on July 18, the Supreme Court of India raised important concerns about the lack of support for poor law graduates who are required to pay fees to write the All India Bar Examination (AIBE), which is necessary to enrol as a lawyer in the country.
The top court questioned the Bar Council of India (BCI) about whether there is any existing scheme to waive off or reduce the examination fee for economically weaker candidates.
A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar was hearing a petition filed by Kuldeep Mishra.
The petition challenges the fees charged by the BCI for appearing in the AIBE, which is a mandatory exam for all law graduates who wish to practice law in India.
Currently, the application fee for AIBE is Rs 3,500 for General and OBC category candidates and ₹2,500 for those belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). These fees must be paid online and are non-refundable.
The Supreme Court expressed concern over the lack of any support system for poor candidates who may not be able to afford even this fee.
During the hearing, the bench told the BCI’s lawyer,
“You cannot have a system which does not have any provision for the poor candidates.”
The court made it clear that access to the legal profession should not be limited to those who can afford these fees.
The judges further added,
“You must have a provision to exempt fees to the needy people and this process should not be complicated.”
The court emphasized that if there is any relief for poor students, the process to avail it should be simple and not burdensome.
The bench has given the BCI two weeks’ time to come prepared and provide a detailed response on whether such a fee exemption scheme exists and if not, why it should not be implemented.
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In addition to the AIBE fees, the Supreme Court also strongly criticized the “phenomenally high fees” charged by National Law Universities (NLUs) for their LLB courses.
The bench observed that law education in India is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many students, particularly those from less privileged backgrounds.
Justice Narasimha said,
“We need to strengthen our education system. People take loans for taking up LL.B courses and the fees are on the higher side.”
The concern was directed towards the rising costs of legal education in premier institutions like NLUs, which can deter deserving students from pursuing law as a career.
At present, the annual fees at NLUs for the five-year integrated LLB course generally range between Rs 1.7 lakh to Rs 4 lakh.
Top law schools like the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, and National Law University (NLU), Delhi, often charge even higher fees compared to the newly established NLUs.
The court’s observations highlight two major issues affecting the legal education system in India — the cost of qualifying examinations like AIBE and the high tuition fees charged by NLUs.
The bench clearly indicated that steps need to be taken to make legal education and entry into the profession more inclusive and affordable.
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The Supreme Court’s firm stand in this case could lead to important reforms that ensure talented students from all economic backgrounds have equal opportunities to pursue law and practice in courts without being held back by financial constraints.
The matter will be taken up again after two weeks, once the BCI responds with its explanation and suggestions.
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