The Bar Council of India released a draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill on 18 July 2026 and invited feedback until 31 July 2026. It proposes four reserved seats for elected women advocates (plus three co-opted seats) in State Bar Councils with over 10,000 voters; dedicated funds for pension, health insurance and medical help for advocates and families of deceased advocates; enrolment fees of ₹18,000 to State Bar Councils and ₹4,500 to the BCI, with a 75% concession for SC, ST and disabled candidates; formal legal recognition for Indian law firms; and structured training on AI, cyber law and digital evidence. Controversial 2025 proposals on strike penalties and government nominees in bar councils were dropped.
This is only a draft. It becomes law only if Parliament passes it. Law students and young advocates should track the enrolment-fee proposal closely.
The legal profession in India is governed by the Advocates Act, 1961. It created the Bar Council of India and the State Bar Councils, which enrol advocates, maintain rolls, frame rules on professional conduct and handle disciplinary complaints. Section 24 of the Act sets the conditions for enrolment, including the fee payable. In 2024 the Supreme Court held that State Bar Councils and the BCI cannot charge enrolment fees above the amounts written in the Act. Changing those amounts, or giving law firms a formal legal status, therefore needs an amendment passed by Parliament.
A draft circulated for comments is a proposal, not law. In practice, feedback is collected, the text may be revised, and a bill must then be introduced in Parliament, passed by both Houses and receive Presidential assent before it takes effect. Until that happens, the existing Act, the current fee limits and the present Bar Council rules continue to apply to every advocate and every enrolment application.
No. It is a draft released by the Bar Council of India for public feedback. It can become law only if a bill is introduced in Parliament, passed by both Houses and receives the President's assent. Until then, the Advocates Act, 1961 and existing Bar Council rules continue to apply without change.
You pay the fee allowed under Section 24 of the Advocates Act as it currently stands. The Supreme Court has held that Bar Councils cannot charge more than the statutory amount as an enrolment fee. Any higher fee mentioned in the draft would apply only if Parliament amends the Act.
No. Advocates can and do practise together in firms and partnerships today, subject to Bar Council rules on professional conduct. What the Advocates Act does not currently provide is a specific statutory framework recognising law firms as such. The draft proposes to add that, but it remains a proposal.
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