Karnataka high court issues notices on bar exam plea

The Karnataka high court on Tuesday issued emergent notices to the Bar Council of India, the Karnataka State Bar Council, the Union of India, and the Department of Law and Parliamentary Affairs on a writ petition challenging a new rule making it mandatory for fresh LLB graduates to pass an examination for taking up practice in courts.

The petition, filed by Murali Prasad, a student of Sarvodaya Law College, came up before justice Ajit Gunjal for hearing on Tuesday.

The petitioner contended that he had written his final semester examination of the three-year LLB course, with an intention to get enrolled in the bar and practise advocacy.

He said he also held a post-graduation in economics. He said after writing his exam, he came to know that he had to appear for an examination conducted by the Bar Council of India to become eligible to practise in the courts of law.

 There was a chance that he would be deprived of a livelihood as he would not have the right to practise unless he passed the bar examination which was scheduled to be held only in December. But his results were expected to be out in July, the petitioner said. 
He submitted that he would have to be without a job for five months, even though he would have cleared his LLB degree, and this was violative of Article-19(1)(g) of the Constitution, which provided citizens the right to practise any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.