Advocates Who Missed Last AOR Exam By One Paper Challenge Supreme Court Decision To Not Hold AOR Exam In 2026
LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK
4 May 2026 11:06 AM IST
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, by candidates who attempted the AOR exam last year and were declared eligible to re-appear in the next exam, challenging the decision not to hold the exam to select Advocates-on-Record (AOR) in 2026.
Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu mentioned the matter before the Chief Justice of India this morning.
When CJI Surya Kant asked why can't the candidates wait for a couple of years, Naidu said that they had only missed the last year's exam by one paper. "They are not failed category, they are regulation 11(i) category, because one paper they missed. If they can be given a chance.." Naidu said.
The bench agreed to list the matter.
On April 30, the Board of Examiner of the Supreme Court decided not to hold exams for Advocates-on-Record in 2026.
The decision is taken in view of the overall strength of the Advocates-on-Record. Every year, the Supreme Court conducts AOR exams, and only those who clear the exam are entitled to file cases in the Supreme Court.
A notification issued by the Registrar & Secretary of the Supreme Court's Board of Examiner, uploaded on the Supreme Court's website, stated :
"The Competent Authority has been pleased to order that keeping in view the overall strength of the AORs, the Advocates-on-Record Examination shall not be conducted in the year 2026. The schedule and dates of the next examination likely to be held in the year 2027 shall be notified in due course."
The overall strength of the AoRs is 3791, as per the latest list of AoRs as on 13.04.2026. After that, 205 more AORs were inducted on April 16.
The petition has been filed through Advocate-on-Record Mandeep Kalra.