On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined a petition to reduce the passing marks for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE). A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud emphasized that lowering the cutoff would affect the quality of new lawyers. CJI Chandrachud remarked, “How much more can the cutoffs be
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, declined to consider a petition requesting a reduction in the passing marks for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE).
While rejecting the petition, a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra stated that reducing the current cutoff marks would compromise the quality of individuals qualifying to practice law.
“How much more can the cutoffs be lowered? Padho bhai,” CJI Chandrachud remarked.
The AIBE is a mandatory exam conducted by the Bar Council of India (BCI) for law graduates who wish to practice law in Indian courts.
The current cutoff for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) is 45 out of 100 for general and OBC category candidates, and 40 out of 100 for SC/ST candidates.
According to a recent response received under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act), only 48.36% of the candidates passed the 18th edition of the All India Bar Examination (AIBE-18), held on December 10, 2023.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) disclosed that a total of 1,48,781 candidates had registered for the exam, with 1,44,014 appearing. Of those who appeared, 69,646 (48.36%) passed, while 74,368 (51.64%) failed.
Ranjeet Singh and Another v. Bar Council of India
