Facing severe financial crunch: TN Bar Council urges Centre to raise enrolment fee

The Bar Council of Tamil Nadu & Puducherry has warned of an immediate and severe financial crunch following a recent Supreme Court ruling that bars state bar councils from collecting any enrolment charge beyond the statutory ₹750.

In a representation to the Union Law Ministry, the Council has sought urgent amendment of the Advocates Act, 1961 to revise the fee that has remained unchanged since 1993.

In its November 17, 2025 letter, K Balu, Co-Chairman of the Bar Council and Chairman of its Enrolment Committee, said that the Supreme Court’s judgment in Gaurav Kumar v. Union of India (2024) has created a situation of “grave concern” for all state bar councils, whose core statutory and welfare functions depend almost entirely on enrolment fee revenues.

The Supreme Court held that no state bar council or even the Bar Council of India can collect any sum in excess of the ₹750 statutory fee prescribed under Section 24(1)(f) of the Advocates Act. Any amount collected at the time of enrolment, irrespective of its nomenclature, must be treated as enrolment fee, the Court clarified.

The letter noted that the fee structure, last revised 32 years ago, is “wholly inadequate even to meet basic administrative requirements” in the present economic climate. Rising operational costs, digitisation, certificate and background verification, staffing, technology upgrades and welfare responsibilities have left state bar councils unable to sustain essential functions under the current cap.

He pointed out that bar councils receive no grants from either the Union or State governments and rely almost exclusively on enrolment fee collections to discharge statutory obligations under Sections 6 and 7 of the Advocates Act, including disciplinary oversight, record management, inspections, training programmes and continuing legal education.

The letter stresses that the Supreme Court itself acknowledged that its ruling would have “serious financial implications” for state bar councils and the Bar Council of India. The Council says that the fee must now be revised in line with rising costs of living and increasing financial demands on regulatory bodies.

Recent mandatory technological upgrades, such as biometric systems, online platforms and enhanced scrutiny mechanisms, along with emergency financial aid to lawyers during the COVID-19 pandemic, have significantly escalated operating expenses, the Council said.

Without immediate legislative intervention, the Council has cautioned that vital functions - particularly welfare schemes for young and financially vulnerable lawyers - may be compromised. The financial health of bar councils, it said, is essential to maintaining professional standards, ensuring the independence of the Bar and supporting thousands of newly enrolled advocates across the country.

The representation has also been circulated to all state bar councils across the country.

[Read Representation]