Supreme Court Orders Bar Councils to Stop Charging Excessive Enrolment Fees from Law Graduates
The Supreme Court of India has ruled that State Bar Councils (SBCs) cannot charge excessive enrollment fees for law graduates beyond what is mandated by the Advocates Act, 1961. The court emphasized that such fees create barriers to entering the legal profession, particularly for those from marginalized backgrounds. The ruling came from a three-judge bench, including Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, while addressing petitions challenging the fees levied by SBCs beyond the prescribed limits under Section 24(1)(f) of the Act. The court clarified that the SBCs and the Bar Council of India (BCI) are not authorized to demand any enrollment fee other than what is stipulated in Section 24(1)(f), which sets the fee at ₹750 for general category candidates and ₹125 for SC/ST candidates. The bench highlighted that this section serves as a fiscal regulatory provision, and the SBCs and BCI, as delegates of Parliament, lack the legislative power to alter the fiscal policy established by Parlia...