Supreme Court Expresses Shock At UP Bar Council Conducting 'Oral Interviews' For Enrollment & Charging Rs 2500 Per Candidate

While expressing shock at how the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council found a way to circumvent last year's judgment restricting the lawyers' enrolment fees to Rs. 750, the Supreme Court issued notice and directed the State Bar Council to file an affidavit explaining the same.

A petition was filed before the Supreme Court claiming that the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council is charging Rs. 2500 for appearing in the oral interviews for the purpose of enrollment. The Court noted that this was a way to circumvent the Supreme Court's judgment which capped enrollment fees.

Remarking that the State Bar Council continue to flout the Supreme Court's Gaurav Kumar v. Union of India (2024) judgment, a bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice PB Varale also directed the Bar Council of India to look into this matter.

"The learned counsel appearing for the petitioner has brought something very shocking to our notice...For the purpose of appearing in the oral interviews, they are charging Rs.2500/- from each candidate. The learned Advocate-on-Record accepts and waives formal notice on behalf of the State Bar Council, UP. On the next date of hearing, we want the State Bar Council of U.P. to file an affidavit clarifying the aforesaid.

In the meantime, we direct the Bar Council of India to look into this matter and take up the issue with the Bar Council of U.P. CONTEMPT PETITION (CIVIL) Diary No(s). 59883/2025 IN W.P.(C) No.774/2025:"

In the 2024 judgment, the Supreme Court observed that the Bar Councils cannot charge enrolment fees beyond what is prescribed under Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961. Therefore, it stated that as stipulated in Section 24, the enrolment fee cannot exceed Rs. 750 for advocates belonging to the general category and Rs. 125 for advocates belonging to the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes categories.

Pursuant to the judgment, a contempt petition was moved by petitioner-in-person K. L. J. A. Kiran Babu arguing that State Bar Councils, including Karnataka, are in contempt of the judgment. While hearing this matter, the Court directed the Chairman of the Bar Council of India and Senior Advocate Manan Mishra to file an affidavit in this regard.

On August 4, Mishra submitted in its affidavit that in response to the judgment, the BCI had issued a detailed communication to the Secretaries of all State Bar Councils, directing them to proceed with enrolment strictly in terms of the 2024 judgment. It was also stated that pursuant to the contempt proceedings, when it came to light that the Karnataka State Bar Council was charging extraorbitant fees, the BCI issued a letter directing all State Bar Councils to furnish details regarding the fees being collected.

In response to this, all State Bar Councils submitted that they have been collecting enrolment fees strictly in accordance with the 2024 judgment.

However, petitions continue to be filed claiming that State Bar Councils continue to charge beyond the stipulated in the name of 'optional fees' or 'additional fees'.

In January, this year, the BCI moved an application in the 2024 judgment seeking to enhance the enrollment fees to Rs 25,000

Case Detail: PRIYADARSHINI SAHA v PINAKI RANJAN BANERJEE|Diary No. 59883-2025

Click Here To Read Order

Appearances: For Petitioner(s) : Mr. Gaurav Kumar, Adv. Mr. Naman Sherstra, Adv. Mr. Chirantan Saha, Adv.m Ms. Paromita Majumdar, AOR Ms. Anshuli Sharma, Adv. Ms. Meenakshi Vimal, Adv. Ms. Riya Sagar, Adv. Mr. Akash Bhatt, Adv. Mr. Mukesh Kumar Thalour, Adv. Mr. Pradeep Kumar Yadav, Adv. Mr. Vishal Thakre, Adv. Mr. Gopal Singh, Adv. Ms. Anjale Kumari, Adv. Mr. Deepak Yadav In Person, Adv. Ms. Chhaya, Adv. Mr. Manish Nagpal, Adv. Mr. Sanjeev Malhotra, AOR

For Respondent(s) : Mr. Kunal Chatterji, AOR Ms. Maitrayee Banerjee, Adv. Mr. Rohit Bansal, Adv. Dr. Ram Sankar, Adv. Mrs. Harini Ramsankar, Adv. Ms. Anjul Dwivedi, Adv. Mr. Saurabh Tiwari, Adv. Ms. Sujatha Bagadhi, Adv. Mr. Maheswaran Prabakaran, Adv. Mr. S Anand, Adv. Mr. Sushant Singh, Adv. For M/s.Ram Sankar & Co, AOR Mr. Vivek Narayan Sharma, AOR Ms. Radhika Gautam, AOR