Bar Council Can’t Deny Enrolment for Post-Application Job: Jharkhand HC

Jharkhand: The Jharkhand High Court on May 14, 2026, allowed a writ petition filed by a law graduate who had been denied enrolment as an advocate by the Jharkhand State Bar Council on the ground that she had accepted engagement as a Law Researcher and Research Associate in the High Court of Jharkhand, in the case of Richa Priya v. Jharkhand State Bar Council, W.P.(C) No. 3582 of 2026 [2026:JHHC:14898]. The order was passed by Justice Ananda Sen.

Richa Priya, a law graduate from Amity University, completed her B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) degree in 2024 and applied for enrolment as an advocate with the Jharkhand State Bar Council on August 30, 2024. The Bar Council processed her application along with those of other applicants, and the Scrutiny Committee cleared all applications on September 11, 2024. After the mandatory waiting period of fourteen clear days lapsed on September 26, 2024, the Enrolment Committee issued enrolment certificates to all the candidates on October 15, 2024, with the sole exception of the petitioner.

In the interim, the High Court of Jharkhand had published an advertisement for the engagement of candidates on contract as Law Researchers and Research Associates. The petitioner applied for and was selected for the position, with an engagement letter issued to her on September 27, 2024. She joined on October 3, 2024. The Bar Council informed the petitioner verbally that since she had been engaged by the High Court, the licence could not be issued to her. A second ground cited was that she had temporarily taken back her original educational certificates and documents from the Bar Council for this purpose.

Justice Ananda Sen, hearing the petitioner in person, noted the relevant timeline with precision. At the time of applying on August 30, 2024, the petitioner had not been engaged by the High Court. The Scrutiny Committee cleared her application on September 11, 2024, at which point she was also not under any engagement. The fourteen-day mandatory period expired on September 26, 2024, on which date too she was not engaged. Her engagement letter was issued only the following day, on September 27, 2024, and she joined on October 3, 2024. The Court held that the petitioner ought to have been issued her enrolment certificate immediately upon the expiry of the fourteen-day period, i.e., on September 26, 2024.

The Court directed the Jharkhand State Bar Council to issue the enrolment certificate to the petitioner immediately, with effect from October 15, 2024, the date on which certificates had been issued to the other candidates. The Court further directed that the enrolment would remain under suspension from October 3, 2024, until the period of her engagement with the High Court of Jharkhand comes to an end, noting that the petitioner was duty-bound to inform the Bar Council of her engagement and to take steps to keep her licence in abeyance for the duration of that engagement.

The Court also directed the Jharkhand State Bar Council to henceforth conduct meetings of the Enrolment Committee and the Scrutiny Committee at least twice a month.

Case Details: Richa Priya v. Jharkhand State Bar Council, Jharkhand High Court, W.P.(C) No. 3582/2026 [2026:JHHC:14898]. Before Justice Ananda Sen. Judgment dated May 14, 2026. The petitioner appeared in person. Mr. Manoj Tandon appeared for the Jharkhand State Bar Council.