The Bar Council of India (BCI) has published the pro-forma undertaking that 2010 graduates will need sign before practising, agreeing to take and pass the bar exam in future.

The BCI website, which had been offline since late last week after a failure to renew the barcouncilofindia.org domain name but went online again yesterday, stated that the undertaking is “to be signed by Advocates who have applied for the All India Bar Examination. Please note that the undertaking must be on notorised affidavits on non-judicial stamp paper of Rs 10/-.”

The affidavit requires state bar council enrolment numbers, law degree and pass-out date, with the undertaking: “I have also applied to the Bar Council of India for appearing in All India Bar Examination now to be held on 6th March 2011. In term of the Resolution No. 100/2010 passed by the Bar Council of India at its meeting held on 20th November 2010, I, undertake that I will practise as an advocate provisionally till I qualify by clearing the All India Bar Examination. I further undertake that in case I do not clear the All India Bar Examination, I will not practise as an advocate before any court in India, until the time I qualify in a succeeding/ subsequent examination.”

The template affidavit that was circulated to state bar councils by the BCI and that was published on the Gujarat bar council’s website earlier this week stated that the undertaking should be on a stamp paper of Rs 100.

In a separate press release the BCI confirmed that the bar exam would be held on 6 March and stated: “The BCI has also decided that all applicants who have filed their applications for the AIBE shall be permitted to practice law in India after furnishing an undertaking to the respective State Bar Councils (SBCs). A copy of the proforma of the undertaking will be available with the SBCs shortly (and on the BCI website), and applicants for the AIBE are required to furnish their undertaking at the SBC where they have enrolled.”

Click here to download the pro-forma template.