Odisha Bar Council Stops Enrolling Advocates After SC ‘Can’t Charge Fee Beyond Norm’ Order

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Bar Council (OSBC) has stopped the enrolment for law graduates to become advocates in the state.

Secretary of OSBC JK Samantasinghar stated in a notice on Tuesday that the enrolment process and sale of forms for enrolment has been stopped with immediate effect in view of the judgment of the Supreme Court in the matter of Gaurav Kumar vrs Union of India and others.

The order will be valid till necessary decision is taken by the council in this regard.

The Supreme Court had ruled that the state bar councils (SBCs) cannot charge more than the enrolment fees stipulated in the Advocates Act of 1961. Section 24 of the Advocates Act mentions that a lawyer registering as an advocate has to pay Rs 750 (General category) and Rs 125 (SC & ST category), besides the stamp duty payable to the SBC and Bar Council of India.

But, often SBCs insist on thousands of rupees as various charges along with the registration fee. Odisha State Bar Council charges the highest at Rs 42,000, followed by Manipur at Rs 16,600 and Maharashtra Rs 15,000, stated a New Indian Express report.

It was argued before the Supreme Court that exorbitant fees deny the facility of enrolment to aspiring lawyers who lack much resources.