Aastha Pareek
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday (November 11) issued a notice to the State Bar Council regarding a significant backlog in law graduates enrollment. This development came after allegations surfaced that around 6,000 law graduates’ applications had been pending without justifiable reason. The Court’s notice, issued by a by Division Bench of Justices Sanjeev Sachdeva and Vinay Saraf calls upon the State Bar Council to expedite and streamline the enrollment process, which has reportedly left numerous qualified candidates awaiting their licenses to practice law.
The issue arose as graduates cited delays in verification and procedural processing. As per the petition files, the last Enrolment Committee meeting was held on July 29, 2024 and since then, no subsequent meetings has been gathered, ignoring the aspiring candidates for the enrollment process.
The High Court has emphasized the impact of these delays on the legal profession and on graduates who are unable to begin their legal careers despite meeting academic requirements. Such delays, it argues, impede access to the profession and may infringe upon the graduates’ right to work. The High Court has asked the Bar Council to present a response detailing its steps to address and resolve the backlog. It shows that this inaction infringes upon their fundamental right to pursue a profession and secure livelihood, as enshrined under Article 19(1)(g) of the Indian Constitution.
This situation follows similar concerns nationwide, where enrollment bottlenecks have hindered access to legal careers. By demanding accountability from the Bar Council, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has underscored the importance of regulatory efficiency in professional licensing, a matter that could set a precedent in legal administration.
Case Name:- Rakesh Singh Bhadoria v. State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh & Others
Case Number:- 34475 of 2024
Bench:- Justices Sanjeev Sachdeva and Vinay Saraf