Supreme Court allows provisional advocate enrolment for distance-mode degree holders

The Supreme Court of India has directed the Telangana State Bar Council to provisionally enrol a group of applicants as advocates. The applicants had completed three-year LLB degrees through regular mode from recognized universities, but their preceding bachelor's degrees were obtained via open, distance, or correspondence modes.

The legal dispute centers on the interpretation of Rule 5 of the Rules of Legal Education, 2008, established by the Bar Council of India. The applicants' enrolment had previously been withheld or rejected because their prior educational qualifications were not obtained through regular classroom instruction. One specific case involved an appellant who completed a B.Com through distance mode in 2006 before finishing a regular LLB in 2020.

A division bench consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued the interim order for provisional enrolment pending a final decision on the merits of the appeals. The Court clarified that this provisional status does not create any equity in favor of the individuals and remains subject to the final adjudication of the civil appeals.