Law graduates move Kerala High Court alleging Bar Council of Kerala, Bar Council of India are delaying enrolments

As many as 25 law graduates from various colleges across the State have moved the Kerala High Court seeking directions to the Bar Council of Kerala (BCK) and the Bar Council of India (BCI) to conduct their enrolments as expeditiously as possible. [R Ardra Menon v. The Chairman & Anr].In their petition, the law graduates submitted that the BCK was initially scheduled to conduct enrolment on May 21. However, it had halted online registration on March 20, pursuant to the Supreme Court’s direction to the BCI to set uniform enrolment fees for all State Bar Councils.It is contended that the delay of the BCK has caused irreparable loss to the petitioners.“The 1st respondent (BCK) who is bestowed with the responsibility to regulate and monitor and uplift the legal fraternity is now obstructing these petitioners’ right to enrolment, right to livelihood, right to practice, and right to carry on their profession in their life. Even though the petitioners herein have on numerous occasions contacted the 1st respondent to get their grievances redressed the 1st respondent has shown their lethargy and has been empathetic to these petitioners,” the plea said..The petitioners stated that they have been eagerly waiting for the enrolment to begin as they have completed their courses. However, no favourable steps have been taken even though they have submitted several representations before the BCK and BCI in this regard, the plea said. Pointing out that it is imperative that they get enrolled so that they can apply for the jobs of their choosing, the petitioners submitted that they are ready to pay the enrolment fees as fixed by the BCK.“The actions/inactions on the part of the respondents (BCK and BCI) in the matter of not conducting the enrollment as scheduled before which is highly arbitrary, unjust and illegal,” the petitioners argued. .The petitioners are represented by Advocates Neethu Prem, Rahul Sasi and Archana Vinod..Recently, a division bench of the of the High Court directed the BCK to collect enrolment fees of ₹750 from all law graduates who wish to enroll as advocates, until the BCI lays down a uniform fee structure applicable to all States Bar Councils.This order was passed in an appeal filed by the BCK challenging an interim order directing the BCK to provisionally accept enrolment applications by the law graduates who had moved the petition upon payment of ₹750.The Division Bench, taking note of the submission that a meeting would be convened by the BCI to decide the issue of uniform enrolment fees, extended the single-judge's order to cover all law graduates in the State.