The Supreme Court of India has recently taken notice of a plea challenging the exorbitant enrollment fees imposed by the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh for aspiring advocates. In a bench presided over by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud alongside Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, the court sought a response from the concerned Bar Council and has scheduled the matter for a hearing in two weeks' time.

The petition was lodged by a graduate from the esteemed Banaras Hindu University's Faculty of Law, who expressed concerns over the steep financial burden imposed on law graduates aspiring to join the legal profession. According to the petitioner, he is required to pay a staggering enrollment fee of Rs 16,665, with an additional Rs 5,000 levied for expedited processing of his application within a day.

The petitioner argued that such exorbitant fees pose a significant barrier for young law graduates, many of whom come from modest financial backgrounds, hindering their access to the legal profession. In response to queries from the bench regarding a reasonable fee structure, the petitioner suggested that as per the Advocates Act, a nominal fee of Rs 750 should suffice.

Case: Kuldeep Mishra vs. UP Bar Council.