The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the Bar Council of India (BCI) on whether there exists any scheme to waive the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) fees for poor law graduates. Expressing concern over the financial barriers faced by aspiring lawyers, the court also criticised the “phenomenally high fees” charged by National Law Universities (NLUs), highlighting the urgent need to reform the legal education system in the country.
A bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar was hearing a petition filed by Kuldeep Mishra, who challenged the fee structure prescribed by the BCI for the AIBE—a mandatory exam for law graduates seeking to enrol as advocates.
The current AIBE application fee is ₹3,500 for general and OBC candidates and ₹2,500 for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. These fees are non-refundable and payable online.
“You cannot have a system which does not have any provision for poor candidates,” the bench observed, urging the BCI to ensure a fee exemption mechanism for needy aspirants. The court emphasized that such a process must be simple and accessible. It directed the BCI to come back with a clear position on this issue within two weeks.
The bench also took note of the steep rise in legal education costs, particularly in NLUs. “The fees of NLUs have gone phenomenally high,” Justice Narasimha remarked. “People are taking loans to pursue LLB courses. The system needs strengthening.”
Currently, the annual tuition fees for five-year integrated LLB programs at NLUs range from ₹1.7 lakh to ₹4 lakh. Prestigious institutions such as the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru and National Law University (NLU), Delhi, are known to charge among the highest fees.
The apex court’s observations have brought renewed attention to the growing inaccessibility of legal education for economically weaker students, raising important questions about affordability, inclusivity, and regulatory oversight in the country’s legal framework.
