On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to entertain petitions challenging the cancellation of the 2026 Advocates-on-Record (AOR) Examination, observing that the issue falls within the administrative domain of the Court rather than its judicial side. The Division Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice P. B. Varale permitted affected lawyers to submit representations before the Chief Justice of India, while expressing confidence that the matter would receive sympathetic consideration.
The petitions were filed by lawyers who had narrowly failed the previous AOR examination and were eligible to reappear for the remaining papers in the next cycle. Senior advocates appearing for the Petitioners argued that many candidates had spent an additional year preparing for the examination and would suffer prejudice because of the decision not to conduct the exam in 2026.
It was further contended that while the Court may regulate the number of AORs, abolishing the examination for an entire year unfairly affected candidates awaiting another opportunity. The challenge arose after the Supreme Court Board of Examination decided to suspend the 2026 AOR exam, citing the existing overall strength of Advocates-on-Record.
Refusing to intervene judicially, the Bench observed that the dispute was better addressed on the administrative side of the institution. Justice Aravind Kumar remarked, “We will permit you to give a representation; we will not deal with it on the judicial side,” while also noting that the Court had “the most empathetic Chief Justice.” The Bench ultimately directed the petitioners to submit detailed representations within ten days and expressed optimism that the Chief Justice would examine the grievance sympathetically.
Accordingly, the writ petitions were disposed of without adjudicating upon the validity of the cancellation decision.
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