Supreme Court Issues Notice on PIL Challenging BCI’s AIBE Fee Structure

On May 19, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Bar Council of India (BCI) in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the fee structure of the All India Bar Examination (AIBE).  The bench, comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, took this step after the petitioner, Advocate Sanyam Gandhi, informed the court that his earlier representation to the BCI had not elicited any response. 

The petitioner contends that the BCI charges ₹3,500 plus incidental charges from General/OBC candidates and ₹2,500 plus incidental charges from Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe candidates for the AIBE.  He argues that this fee structure violates Articles 14 and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution and Section 24(1)(f) of the Advocates Act, 1961.  The petitioner references the Supreme Court’s decision in Gaurav Kumar v. Union of India, where it was held that enrolment fees cannot exceed ₹750 for general category advocates and ₹125 for SC/ST category advocates. 

In February 2025, the Supreme Court had previously disposed of a similar plea by the same petitioner, granting him liberty to approach the court again if the BCI did not respond to his representation within a reasonable time.  During that hearing, Justice Pardiwala remarked on the necessity of funds for the BCI’s functioning, stating, “You want the Bar Council to survive or not? We have otherwise also chopped off their both upper limbs and lower limbs. They have a staff to maintain. They have to recover something.” 

The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on July 15, 2025.