New Delhi: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has said it will increase the registration fee for legal aspirants from Rs 750 to Rs 22,500 under the Draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which has been released for public consultation. The proposal also suggests a number of changes related to legal education, counseling training, organizational management and professional development.Under the amendment, Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961 will be amended to revise the registration fee to Rs 18,000 payable to the concerned State Bar Council and Rs 4,500 to the Bar Council of India. BCI has invited suggestions from stakeholders, including State Bar Councils, law societies, law universities, law academies and law societies, till 3 pm on July 31, 2026.Fee review and approvalAccording to the records, the revised amount has been issued following the judgments of the Supreme Court in Gaurav Kumar v Union of India and Pankaj Sinha v Bar Council of India. The BCI noted that the existing registration fees have remained unchanged since 1993 despite the addition of responsibilities related to advocate registration.The statement says that the revised funds will help to verify educational qualifications and information, prepare physical and digital records, issue registration certificates, support systems for medical care including insurance and mediclaim, development programs, the establishment of the National Legal Academy and other organizational activities.The documents also indicate that candidates belonging to Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and Persons with Disabilities will have to pay one-fourth of the registration fee.Far away changing legal education providedThe Act seeks to empower the BCI to conduct entrance examinations for law degree courses, to specify the eligibility criteria, rules for the All India Bar Examination, and to recognize legal institutions and foreign law qualifications.It also wants to expand the Legal Education Committee from 10 members to 25 members. The re-established body will have representatives from the courts, government, universities, legal education and legal professions.Look into continuing legal educationThe document suggests that legal education should continue to be an official activity of the BCI and State Bar Councils. Professional development programs may include legal law, corporate and commercial law, competition, intellectual property, internet law, taxation, insolvency, international law, and litigation and appeals.The BCI said that these programs aim to promote the skills of advocates and expand learning opportunities without creating unnecessary challenges for professionals.(Witn’s Notes from Bar and Bench)