Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud was listening to a petition on bar council charges (File)
New Delhi:
How a lot price did Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud invoice his shopper when he fought his first case within the Bombay Excessive Courtroom a very long time in the past as a authorized skilled, contemporary out of legislation college?
Rs 60.
That is what Chief Justice Chandrachud mentioned on Monday whereas listening to a matter on charging “excessive charges” for enrolment in bar councils in numerous states.
In 1986, Chief Justice Chandrachud had returned from Harvard and began practising legislation within the Bombay Excessive Courtroom. That yr, his first case was earlier than Justice Sujata Manohar for an pressing listening to. He earned the Rs 60 price for this work.
At the moment, attorneys wouldn’t normally ask for price in Indian rupees, however in gold ‘mohar’, as was finished in the course of the colonial days.
Case briefing information given to attorneys on behalf of their shoppers included a inexperienced docket on which the phrases “GM” (gold mohar), as an alternative of rupees, could be written. There, attorneys would write their price in “GM”.
One gold mohar was about Rs 15 at the moment. A younger Chief Justice Chandrachud wrote “4 GM” on the docket and received the price of Rs 60.
This development was prevalent within the Bombay Excessive Courtroom until 25 years in the past, sources mentioned. The worth of 1 GM within the Calcutta Excessive Courtroom was Rs 16.
The Supreme Courtroom on Monday reserved judgment on a batch of petitions difficult the enrolment price charged by bar councils in numerous states as exorbitant. The Bench additionally included Justice JB Pardiwala.
Throughout the listening to, the Bench questioned whether or not bar councils can cost a price greater than the quantity talked about within the Advocates Act, 1961 which says Rs 600 for state bar councils and Rs 150 for the Bar Council of India.
The Bench famous there was no uniformity within the charges charged by state bar councils. In some states similar to Kerala, Maharashtra, and Delhi, it’s within the vary of Rs 15,000, whereas in others like Odisha it’s Rs 41,000.
The bench noticed that the authorized query was whether or not the bar councils can cost a sum greater than what’s talked about within the legislation.
“It’s for parliament to extend the enrolment price. It’s a legitimate level you raised on the assorted bills to run the state bar councils. However the legislation could be very clear. You can not cost greater than Rs 600,” Chief Justice Chandrachud mentioned.
In July 2023, the Supreme Courtroom had transferred to itself petitions pending in excessive courts on this difficulty.
Final yr, the Kerala Excessive Courtroom directed the Bar Council of Kerala to gather solely Rs 750 as enrolment price from legislation graduates wishing to enrol, until the Bar Council of India considers a uniform price construction.
