WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has directed law graduates enrolled as advocates from the academic year 2009-10 onwards to qualify the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) if they have not already cleared it, making compliance with the Bar Council of India rules mandatory for practising law across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
In a notification, the High Court issued directions for implementing Rules 9, 10 and 11 of Chapter III, Part VI of the Bar Council of India Rules governing the All India Bar Examination and enrolment of advocates.
As per the notification, all law graduates who have been enrolled as advocates with the Bar Council of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and graduated from the academic year 2009-10 onwards must qualify the AIBE if they have not passed the examination. The notification states that the requirement is in accordance with the existing Bar Council of India rules, under which advocates enrolled under Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961, cannot practise under Chapter IV of the Act unless they successfully clear the examination.
The decision follows deliberations by the High Court’s Rules Committee, which considered the matter in its meeting on August 19, 2026, and recommended implementation of the relevant rules across the two Union Territories. The recommendations were subsequently placed before the Full Court, which approved them at its meeting on October 8, 2026.
The High Court has specified that fresh law graduates and advocates enrolled provisionally with the Bar Council of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will be granted an absolute certificate of enrolment only after qualifying the AIBE and producing the Certificate of Practice (COP) issued by the Bar Council of India.
The notification provides a period of two years for fulfilling these requirements. The Certificate of Practice is issued by the Bar Council of India to successful candidates and is required under the rules governing legal practice.
The High Court has also directed advocates enrolled with the Bar Council of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after July 1, 2010, who have already qualified the AIBE, to submit copies of their Certificates of Practice to the High Court Registry. Such advocates have been given one month from the date of issuance of the notification to submit the required documents.
The notification further states that amendments to the instructions and guidelines in the application form for enrolment as an advocate have been appended in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Advocates Act, 1961.
Under the Bar Council of India rules cited in the notification, the AIBE is conducted by the Bar Council of India and is intended to test advocates on substantive and procedural law.
The examination is required to be held at least twice a year, while the syllabus must be published at least three months before the scheduled examination. Candidates who fail the examination may reappear without any limit on the number of attempts. The notification has been issued by order of the High Court through Registrar General M.K. Sharma. Copies have been forwarded to district courts, bar associations, the Bar Council of India and the concerned departments for information and necessary action.
