The Bar Council of India (BCI) has informed the Supreme Court of India that the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) will be conducted twice every year and that final semester law students will be permitted to appear for the exam, subject to clearing their final degree examinations.
The AIBE is a qualifying test that law graduates must pass to obtain a Certificate of Practice (CoP), which is mandatory to practise law in India.
Until now, the exam was generally conducted once a year, and eligibility was largely restricted to candidates who had completed their law degrees. The submission made before the apex court signals a formal change in both the frequency of the exam and AIBE exam eligibility conditions.
A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta was hearing a writ petition filed by nine final-year law students from Delhi University. The petition challenged the Bar Council of India’s earlier position that did not allow final semester students to appear for the AIBE before completion of their degree. The petitioners contended that this restriction delayed their entry into the legal profession and caused avoidable hardship.
During the hearing, counsel appearing for the Bar Council of India informed the court that the Council had framed new rules addressing the issues raised in the petition. The counsel stated, “The AIBE will be conducted twice a year and the last semester students of LLB will be allowed to sit for the exam subject to their clearing of the final exam.”
In a separate submission, the counsel further stated, “This is the case where (it was sought that) last semester students should be allowed to sit for the AIBE. We have framed the rules. The prayers have been taken care of. The AIBE will be conducted at least twice a year and the last semester students will be allowed to sit for AIBE, subject to them clearing the final (semester) exam.”
After recording these submissions, the Supreme Court disposed of the petition, noting that the grievance raised by the petitioners no longer survived in view of the newly framed rules. The court observed that the regulatory changes introduced by the Bar Council of India sufficiently addressed the concerns regarding eligibility and examination frequency.
The development follows earlier interim directions of the Supreme Court, under which final semester students had been allowed to appear for the AIBE in certain cases while the issue of formal rule amendments was pending. With the latest submission, those interim measures now stand formalised through revised regulations.
The decision to conduct the AIBE exam at least twice a year is expected to provide greater flexibility to law graduates and final semester students in planning their qualification and transition into legal practice. The Bar Council of India has not yet issued a detailed public notification outlining the complete text of the new rules, and further clarifications are expected through official communications.