71 percent pass in first all India Bar exam

New Delhi: The 22,000 candidates who took the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) held on March 6, 71 per cent of them have come out successful, said Gopal Subramaniam, chairman of the Bar Council of India on Saturday.
This was the first time such an entry-level examination was held, to assess a candidate's capabilities as lawyer at the basic level and to set a minimum standard for admission to the practice of law. Only a pass in this examination will enable the advocate to practise the legal profession. It was held across 26 cities barring Chennai, where it was postponed following violence intended to disturb the examination.

The Chairman said that the results, declared ahead of the scheduled date of March 20, could be accessed on the BCI website [www.barcouncilofindia.org]. Candidates could get to know their individual result by typing in their roll number for the AIBE. The results were also being sent to the State Bar Councils across the country.

The pass percentage was just above 71%. It was nearly the same among men and women. Candidates who did not pass the test would be allowed to take the next AIBE, and the details of which would be provided shortly. For candidates in Chennai who could not take the test, the AIBE would be held in the city before month-end.
More than 22,000 lawyers had enrolled for the AIBE, which was held in 44 centres.

The Chairman said that he AIBE is a historic landmark for the legal profession in India. The high attendance and international standard processes and systems have built a useful benchmark for the way forward. However, it is only a first step; the results clearly prove that there are various systemic problems with legal education that need to be addressed quickly so that law students and legal professionals will have access to the skills and knowledge that will allow them to build successful practice and take forward the Indian legal profession.