Karnataka Bar Council Cannot Deny Enrollment To Advocate Who Completed Law Degree From Outside State: High Court

The Karnataka High Court has held that any person who has graduated from any law college in India can register with the State Bar Council where they intend to practice.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj made this ruling while allowing a petition filed by Rajashekar, whose application for enrolment as an advocate with the Karnataka State Bar Council had not been considered because he completed his law degree outside Karnataka.

During the hearing, the court asked the counsel for the Bar Council of India whether there was any restriction on such enrolment. The counsel confirmed that there is no such restriction and that, under Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961, any person who has passed from any law college in the country may register with any State Bar Council where they intend to practice. Only when a transfer of registration is required do specific procedures apply.

The court noted that the petitioner graduated from the Faculty of Law, Monad University, Uttar Pradesh, which is affiliated with the Bar Council of India.

The court stated: “It being clear that 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.”

The court directed the Karnataka State Bar Council to enrol the petitioner as an advocate on its roll on the next enrolment date. It further instructed that in future, applications from students who have completed law degrees in other States should be considered, provided proper verification of certificates is done.

Appearance: Advocate Vaibhav Ravi Malimath for Petitioner.

Advocate Anubha Srivastava for R1.

Advocate T P Vivekananda FOR R2.

Citation No: 2025 LiveLaw (Kar) 376

Case Title: Rajashekar AND Bar Council of India & ANR

Case No: WRIT PETITION NO. 24401 OF 2025

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