SC cancels Advocates-on-Record exam 2020 due to COVID-19; postpones test to June 2021

As per a decision taken by the Supreme Court of India, the Advocate-on-Record (AoR) examination 2020 will not be conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report by Bar and Bench, the apex court decided to scrap the AoR exam 2020 after taking into account the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Delhi. The AoR examination is now likely to be held in June 2021. A report by Live Law said that the Additional Registrar, Recruitment Cell of the Supreme Court of India has sent a letter to the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) informing them about the decision. The apex court has also asked SCBA to bring into the notice the decision to all concerned. Candidates who qualify for the advocates on record exam are entitled to practice in any part of the country. If a person wants to practice as an advocate-on-record in the Supreme Court, he/ she requires an additional qualification. The candidate has to practice for four years as an advocate and thereafter has to intimate to the Supreme Court that he/ she has started taking training with a Senior Advocate on the record because he intends to become an Advocate-on-record. The person has to appear for an exam conducted by the apex court and after qualifying it, he/ she must have a registered office within a radius of 10 miles from the Supreme Court building and should have a registered clerk. It is after these steps, the Chamber Judge of the Supreme Court accepts the person as an advocate-on-record.