Law graduates in Kerala are free from paying ‘expensive’ enrollment fees.

Ten law graduates who had petitioned the court to dispute the Rs 15,900 admission fee established by the Kerala Bar Council were given temporary relief on Wednesday by the Kerala High Court. (BCK).

Justice Shaji P. Chaly instructed the Bar Council to accept the petitioners’ applications upon payment of a fee of Rs 750 as required by law and not to take any more fees at this time.

‘I believe it is only proper to order the Bar Council to accept applications for enrolment without demanding payment in addition to the Rs 750 stipulated by law. Depending on the outcome of this writ petition, the respondent Bar Council will be instructed to accept applications from the petitioners with a fee of Rs 750’ The list was read.

Ten law graduates from the Government Law College in Ernakulam who filed the case stated that the BCK’s enrolment fees are a significant financial barrier for them and many others.

In order to collect a fee greater than the Rs 750 allowed by the Advocates Act, the BCK was alleged to have gone beyond the bounds of its rule-making authority.

The first respondent (Bar Council of Kerala) is currently charging law graduates who want to enter the noble profession of law a sum of Rs 15,900 (or Rs 15,400 in the case of SC/ST applicants), the appeal stated, ‘despite the legislation explicitly prescribing the amount of enrolment fee that can be imposed.’

The petitioners also drew attention to the fact that the Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed against a 2017 ruling by the High Court that said the State Bar Council could not set enrolment fees beyond ARs 750 in accordance with the Advocates Act.