The Supreme Court on Monday (11 May) declined to entertain a batch of writ petitions challenging the decision to cancel the 2026 Advocates-on-Record (AOR) examination, holding that the issue falls within the administrative jurisdiction of the Court rather than the judicial side.
A bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice P. B. Varale disposed of the petitions while permitting the aggrieved candidates to submit representations before the Chief Justice of India within ten days.
Background Of The Dispute
The controversy began after the Supreme Court’s Board of Examiners issued a notification on April 30 stating that the AOR examination would not be conducted in 2026 due to the “overall strength” of existing Advocates-on-Record. The next examination is expected to be held in 2027.
Under Supreme Court rules, only lawyers who clear the AOR examination are entitled to file cases directly before the apex court.
Several petitioners were lawyers who had appeared in the previous examination but could not clear a few papers. Since the rules permit such candidates to re-appear in the next examination for the remaining subjects, they argued that skipping the 2026 exam would adversely affect their professional progress.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan submitted that many candidates had narrowly missed qualifying and had been preparing for another attempt for over a year.
Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat argued that while the Court may regulate the number of AORs, cancelling the examination altogether could unfairly affect aspiring advocates.
However, the bench remained unwilling to examine the policy decision through writ jurisdiction.
“We are of the view that the ends of justice would be met by permitting the petitioners to share a comprehensive representation to the Chief Justice of India,” the bench observed.
Justice Kumar remarked,
“We have got the most empathetic Chief Justice,” while expressing confidence that the issue would receive sympathetic consideration on the administrative side.
Justice Varale similarly stated,
“We are optimistic.”
The Court ultimately declined to interfere with the Board of Examiners’ decision on the judicial side and directed the petitioners to submit their representations before the Chief Justice of India within ten days.
