AIBE reform before SC: Final Year Students eligible, exam to be held Twice annually

The Supreme Court closed a long-running challenge after the Bar Council of India (BCI) informed the Court that it has amended its rules to allow final-semester law students to appear for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE), while also deciding to conduct the exam twice a year. The move directly impacts thousands of aspiring advocates by removing delays in their entry into legal practice.

The case arose from a petition filed by final-year law students who had questioned the BCI’s earlier bar on allowing students to take the AIBE before formally graduating, despite having completed their coursework. The petitioners argued that this restriction created an artificial and unfair divide among students based solely on the timing of university results, potentially costing them an entire year in starting professional practice.

They relied on prior constitutional guidance recognising that students eligible for the final semester could be permitted to take the bar exam, and sought judicial intervention to prevent career disruption.

Recording the BCI’s statement that the regulatory gap had now been addressed, the Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta noted that the grievance no longer survived. The BCI informed the Court that new rules permit last-semester students to sit for the AIBE, subject to clearing their final examinations, and that the exam will now be held at least twice annually.

Acknowledging this development, the Court observed, “The purpose of the writ petition has been served,” and formally disposed of the case.

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