A plea has been moved before the Kerala High Court challenging its internship policy, which restricts entry and eligibility to only law students in the last year of their courses.

The plea is moved by Austin Suney, a student of Bharata Mata School of Legal Studies (Aluva), whose final semester results are currently awaiting publication. He has stated that he got a bona fide certificate issued from the principal of the college for the purpose of undergoing an internship and joined an office for this purpose last month. The senior advocate also issued an Authorisation Certificate confirming the internship to enable him to obtain an entry pass to the High Court, it is stated in the plea.

According to the plea, when the petitioner went to the High Court to get an entry pass, his request was denied stating that only final year students are eligible and that he was not eligible on account of the fact that he had already given his regular examinations. However, no written order was given to him despite specific request, it is stated.

At this juncture, he approached the High Court challenging the Internship Policy issued with effect from 01.07.2026. The said policy restricted eligibility of internship at the High Court to only final year students.

While the matter was pending, the High Court issued a new, amended policy with effect from 17.10.2026. According to the new policy, entry and eligibility for the purpose of internship is restricted to students in the last two years of their courses.

Today, when the matter came up, Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan passed an interim order directing for the issuance of a temporary entry pass to Suney to enable him to effectively pursue his internship.

"After hearing both sides, I think an interim order can be passed as far as the petitioner alone is concerned. The larger issue can be decided later. Therefore, there will be a direction to the respondents to issue a temporary entry pass to the petitioner, so that he can do the internship...subject to all conditions in Exhibit P5 [unamended internship policy] and also on a written assurance from the lawyer concerned that he is the intern of that particular lawyer."

The Court also asked the petitioner to implead the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association to the plea.

According to the plea, the policy does not define what "final year" means and does not provide any way for students, who are waiting for results and enrolment, to get practical exposure provided only in courtrooms. It is further stated that limiting eligibility to final year students does not have any rational nexus to the policy's objective of practical exposure.

"It is submitted that practical training is part of legal education under the Rules of Legal Education, 2008 framed by the Bar Council of India. Denying it just before enrolment unfairly affects the Petitioner's right to take up the profession of law under Article 19(1)(g) and his right to education and livelihood under Article 21 of the Constitution of India," states the plea.

It is also pointed out that the policy imposes sufficient safeguards to control interns and the same could be imposed on the petitioner as well.

The plea prays for a declaration that a law student, who is awaiting final results/enrolment or has supplementary exams to clear, is eligible to do internship at the High Court.

It also seeks to quash the internship policy to the extent it imposes unreasonable restrictions on law students, preventing them from undergoing effective internship in the High Court while they are attached to offices of advocates practicing in the High Court.

Further, the petitioner also seeks a direction to issue him an entry pass to enable him to attend the High Court during his internship.

Counsel for the petitioner: Santhosh Mathew (Sr.), Shinto Mathew Abraham, Veena Raveendran, Anil Sebastian Pulickel, Leah Rachel Ninan, Mathew Nevin Thomas, Karthik Rajagopal, Kurian Antony Mathew, Aparnna S., Noel Ninan Ninan, Adeen Nazar, Rohan Mathew, Saira Susan Jojoe

Counsel for the respondents: B.G. Harindranath (Sr.), S. Vishnu Arikkattil