Delhi Court asks Bar Council to consider having 'pre-set schedule' for All India Bar examination

NEW DELHI: Delhi High Court asks Bar Council of India to consider having a 'pre-set schedule' to conduct the All India Bar examination (AIBE). With this, the council can eliminate uncertainty regarding dates of the exams and provisionally enrolled candidates can prepare accordingly.

The court was hearing a petition filed back in 2019, a provisionally enrolled candidate, Nishant Khatri who did not want to be debarred from practising for not having cleared the AIBE within two years of enrolment since the last AIBE examination was held only in October 2021.

Also Read | CLAT 2023: Previous year cut-offs for top-ranked national law universities

Delhi court clarified that Khatri will not be debarred or disqualified from continuing to use his provisional registration and appearing before courts till further orders. The council on the other hand submits that notification for the AIBE dates will be issued soon and that the delay in examinations was due to change in the agency in-charge of conducting exams.

Therefore, the court has granted time to the BCI to seek instructions on the issue and directed that the petitioner, as well as other similarly placed advocates, shall not be prevented from practising in court. The matter will now be heard further on January 6, 2023.

“Let the status report be filed by BCI giving the next date for the conduct of AIBE. BCI shall consider having a pre-set schedule for the conduct of AIBE so that uncertainty can be resolved and provisionally enrolled advocates can prepare for appearing in the AIBE accordingly,” said the court, PTI reported.

(Inputs from PTI)