All India Lawyers Association For Justice Urges BCI To Limit Enrolment Fees To Rs 750 Until Courts Take Final Decision

The All India Lawyers' Association for Justice (AILAJ) has written a letter to the Bar Council of India and Bar Council of Delhi, urging them to promptly take measures to ensure that all State Bar Councils limit the enrollment fees to Rs. 750 until the courts reach a final decision on the matter.

AILAJ said exorbitant enrolment fees being charged by various State Bar Councils acts as a hurdle for students from marginalized communities who aspire to enter the legal profession.

The letter refers to the Apex Court's decision in BCI v. Bonnie Foi Law College, wherein it upheld the validity of the AIBE (All India Bar Examination) but expressed strong concern over the lack of uniformity in the enrollment fees. "We also have one caveat arising from the plea that different State Bar Councils are charging different fees for enrollment. This is something that requires the attention of the Bar Council of India, which possesses the power to ensure the observance of a uniform pattern and prevent the fee from becoming oppressive for young students entering the legal profession," the court said in the ruling.

It also mentions that in the case of The Bar Council of Kerala vs. Akshai M. Sivan, the Kerala High Court recently directed the Bar Council of Kerala to collect only Rs. 750/- as the enrollment fee from law graduates who wish to enroll. Similarly, the letter refers to similar petitions pending in different High Courts like Odisha, Bombay.

It also refers to the recent PIL filed before the Supreme Court in the case of Gaurav Kumar vs. Union of India, which challenges the exorbitant enrollment fees being charged by various state bar councils. T

AILAJ said charging of enrolment fees by the State Bar Councils, other than what is prescribed under section 24(1)(f) is “in blatant violation of the right to equality and equal treatment before the law guaranteed to law students and graduates as enshrined in Article 14.”

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