Why Can't Vakalatnamas Mention If Advocate Has Passed AIBE? Supreme Court Asks BCI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (May 6) suggested to the Bar Council of India that they bring a rule mandating that in the vakaltnamas filed by Advocates enrolled after 2010, it should be specified if the candidate has cleared the All India Bar Examination.

"Why don't you make it mandatory in the vakalatnama itself to mention if AIBE has been passed? Why don't you make a rule mandating that every vakalatnama should mention the enrolment number, and if the enrolment is after 2010, then let it be mentioned that AIBE is passed, " CJI Sanjiv Khanna asked the Bar Council of India.

The bench comprising CJI Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice KV Viswanathan was hearing a Miscellaneous Application filed by the Bar Council of India in the Bonni Foi Law College case where a 5-judge bench had in 2023 upheld the condition that advocates must clear the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) to practice.

Last year, the Supreme Court had allowed final year law students also to appear for the AIBE.