NEW DELHI: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has proposed to increase the legal registration fee for aspiring lawyers from Rs 750 to Rs 22,500 under the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which has been released for public consultation. The proposal also outlines a series of reforms covering legal education, lawyer training, institutional oversight and professional development.According to the draft, Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961 would be amended to revise the registration fee to Rs 18,000 payable to the Bar Council of the State concerned and Rs 4,500 to the Bar Council of India. The BCI has invited suggestions from stakeholders including state bar councils, bar associations, law colleges, legal education centers and law firms till 3 pm on July 31, 2026.Proposal for revision of rates and concessionsAccording to the draft, the revised tariff has been proposed following the Supreme Court judgments in Gaurav Kumar v Union of India and Pankaj Sinha v Bar Council of India. The BCI noted that the existing legal registration fee has remained unchanged since 1993 despite the expanded institutional responsibilities attached to the registration of lawyers.The explanatory note states that the revised fee would support verification of educational qualifications and identities, maintenance of physical and digital enrollment records, issuance of enrollment certificates, advocacy for welfare measures, including insurance and medical claims, professional development programs, establishment of a National Legal Academy and other institutional services.The draft also proposes that candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Persons with Reference Disabilities will have to pay only one-fourth of the prescribed registration fee.Wider legal education reforms proposedThe draft law seeks to empower the BCI to conduct entrance examinations for admission to degree programmes, prescribe minimum qualifications for admission, lay down rules for the Bar Examination of India and recognize foreign legal education institutions and law degrees.It also proposes expanding the Legal Education Commission from 10 members to 25 members. The reconstituted body would include representatives from the judiciary, government, universities, academia and the legal profession.Focus on continuing legal educationThe draft proposes to make continuous legal training a statutory function of both the BCI and the State Bar Council. Professional development programs may include constitutional law, corporate and commercial law, arbitration, artificial intelligence, cyber law, taxation, insolvency, international legal practice, and trial and appellate advocacy.The BCI said these programs aim to strengthen the professional capabilities of advocates and expand learning opportunities without creating unnecessary burdens on practitioners.(With Bar and Bank tickets)