Delhi: The SC has ruled that the Bar Council of India and the state bar councils cannot charge thousands of rupees as registration fees from lawyers. The court, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, stated that the Advocate Act stipulates that the fee for registration of lawyers is Rs 750 for the general category and Rs 125 for the SC-ST category.
The court clarified that the State Bar Council can charge Rs 600 and the Bar Council of India Rs 150 for general category lawyers, and Rs 100 and the Bar Council of India Rs 25 for SC-ST category lawyers. The court clarified that this order will not apply to already registered lawyers but will apply to all new lawyers who will be registered now.
The Supreme Court has previously faced challenges from the Bar Council of states for charging multiple times more fees for lawyer registration.