Jammu and Kashmir High Court makes AIBE mandatory for advocates enrolled since 2009-10

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court recently made it mandatory for all advocates enrolled across the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh since 2009-10 to pass the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) to be entitled to practice law.

Although the Bar Council of India (BCI) had made AIBE mandatory for law graduates from 2009-10 onwards, the requirement had not been formally implemented for advocates enrolled with the Bar Council of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has now directed its implementation.

A notification to this effect was issued by the High Court's Registrar General MK Sharma on October 10, 2026.

The notification lays down that law graduates enrolled as advocates with the Bar Council of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, who graduated in the academic year 2009-2010 onwards, must qualify the AIBE if they have not already cleared the examination.

Fresh law graduates and advocates enrolled provisionally will be granted an absolute certificate of enrolment only after passing the AIBE and producing the Certificate of Practice (COP) issued by the Bar Council of India within two years.

Advocates enrolled with the Bar Council of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after July 1, 2010, who have already qualified the AIBE, have been directed to submit copies of their Certificates of Practice to the High Court Registry within one month.

The decision follows the Full Court's October 8 decision to accept an August 19 recommendation of a Rules Committee to implement Rules 9, 10 and 11 of Chapter III, Part VI of the Bar Council of India Rules concerning the AIBE.

Rule 9 of the BCI Rule stipulates that advocates must successfully pass the AIBE to be entitled to practise under Chapter IV of the Advocates Act, 1961. Rule 11 provides for the issuance of the Certificate of Practice to successful candidates.

[Read Notification]