Bar Council of India Approaches Supreme Court Seeking Enhancement of Enrollment Fees to Rs. 25,000
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking directions to increase the enrollment fee for advocates from the current cap of Rs. 750 to Rs. 25,000.

The application was filed in the case Gaurav Kumar v. Union of India, where the Supreme Court, in July 2024, ruled that Bar Councils cannot charge fees beyond the limit prescribed under Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961. The BCI has requested the Court to direct the Union Government to amend the Advocates Act to revise the fee structure.

A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Mishra expressed surprise at the application and sought the assistance of Attorney General R. Venkataramani. Senior Advocate and BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra informed the Court that the proposal includes an enrollment fee of Rs. 25,000 and a BCI fund fee of Rs. 6,250 for general candidates.

For SC/ST candidates, the proposed fees are Rs. 10,000 for enrollment and Rs. 2,500 for the BCI fund. Justice Narasimha questioned the Court’s role in the matter. Mishra clarified that the BCI has already made a representation to the Ministry of Law & Justice and seeks directions for the Government to consider it.

Source: – Live Law
By: – Rajat Ranjan