The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition seeking to lower the cut-off for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE), stressing the need to maintain high standards in the legal profession. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who led the bench, remarked that reducing the cut-off scores would negatively impact the quality of lawyers. Currently, the passing marks are set at 45% for general category candidates and 40% for SC/ST candidates.
“Padho bhai! (please study),” Chief Justice Chandrachud told the petitioner, highlighting the necessity of adequate preparation. The court’s decision underscores its commitment to ensuring that only qualified individuals are admitted to the bar, thus safeguarding the quality of legal services in India.
In a related development, the Madras High Court recently dismissed a plea to reduce the application fee for the AIBE, which is conducted by the Bar Council of India (BCI). This decision was delivered by a bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice R Mahadevan and Justice GR Swaminathan.