The Supreme Court has raised a sharp eyebrow at a revelation that the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council may be charging law graduates ₹2,500 to sit for so-called “oral interviews” before enrolling them as advocates—an exercise that appears to clash head-on with the Court’s own directives.
A Bench led by Justices JB Pardiwala and PB Varale described the allegation as nothing short of startling. The concern stems from a claim made in a petition filed by Priyadarshini Saha, who said the Council had devised an inventive detour around the Court’s 2024 ruling that had capped enrolment fees at ₹750.
According to the petitioner, the Council had introduced a fresh layer—an interview—priced at ₹2,500 per applicant. The Bench noted that if this practice were indeed underway, it would fly in the face of clear judicial directions that no State Bar Council may demand sums beyond the statutory fee specified under the Advocates Act.
The judges remarked that such a move, if verified, would appear to sidestep the spirit and substance of the Court’s earlier judgment in Gaurav Kumar v Union of India, where it had emphatically ruled that enrolment fees are strictly limited: ₹750 for general category candidates and ₹125 for those from Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities.
The Court has now sought an affidavit from the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council, demanding a precise explanation of this “interview” mechanism and its fee. At the same time, the Bar Council of India has been instructed to examine the issue independently and confer with the UP Council.
These directives come against the backdrop of the Court’s consistent stance against creative fee-collecting practices. Just a few months earlier, it had reminded another State Council that labels like “miscellaneous” or “optional” fees were merely disguises—and unconstitutional ones at that.
The matter is scheduled to return to the Supreme Court on January 7, 2026, where the answers provided will likely determine whether the UP Bar Council has crossed the line or merely blurred it.
