State Bar Councils or the Bar Council of India cannot collect any “optional” fee other than the statutory charge from law graduates enrolling as lawyers, the Supreme Court has said, while asking the Karnataka State Bar Council to stop collecting any such amount.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan passed the direction on a contempt plea filed by K.L.J.A. Kiran Babu, alleging that directions issued by this court in July last year on not charging exorbitant fees from enrolling law graduates by state bar councils, especially the Karnataka State Bar Council, are not being complied with in letter and spirit.
The Bar Council of India, in its affidavit, said all state bar councils are complying with the directions of the court and the ₹6,800 charged by the Karnataka State Bar Council for ID cards, certificates, welfare fund, and training, among others, and ₹25,000 over and above the statutory fees are optional and not mandatory.
“We make it clear that there is nothing like optional. No State Bar Council(s) or Bar Council of India shall collect any fees of any amount as optional. They shall strictly collect fees in accordance with the directions issued by this court in the main judgment,” the bench said in its order passed on August 4.
