Supreme Court Upholds ₹3,500 Fee for All India Bar Examination
Court Finds Charges Justified by Exam Costs; No Violation of Constitution or Advocates Act
The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition challenging the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) fee of ₹3,500 for general and OBC candidates, and ₹2,500 for SC/ST candidates, to appear for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE). A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Sandeep Mehta held that the examination fee is not unconstitutional and is justified by the substantial expenses incurred in organizing the nationwide exam.
The petitioner argued that the fee structure violated Articles 14 and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution (right to equality and right to practice a profession), and Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961. The Court clarified that its precedent in Gaurav Kumar v. Union of India—which capped the enrolment fee—does not apply to examination fees, which involve significant infrastructure and operational costs.
BCI submitted that the AIBE fee was necessary to cover exam-related expenditures, differentiating it from the statutory enrollment fee. The Court held the fee could not be termed arbitrary or violative of constitutional provisions, and ultimately dismissed the plea, reaffirming the legitimacy of the current AIBE fee structure.