Supreme Court of India, Board of Examiners, Advocates-on-Record Examination
Advocates-on-Record Examination — December 2026 re-appearance cycle and AOR route
The Supreme Court's notification dated 25 September 2026 announces a special Advocates-on-Record Examination on 19, 20, 22 and 23 December 2026 at New Delhi. This sitting is not a general first-time AOR examination: it is limited to candidates eligible to re-appear under Regulation 11(i) or 11(ii), arising from the June 2025 result or earlier examinations. The broader AOR qualification route remains governed by Order IV of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 and the AOR Examination Regulations.
By Dr. Saurabh Kapoor, Advocate, founder of ZELVU Education. Checked against the official sources on 31 October 2026. Always confirm dates and fees on the authority’s own site before you act.
Where this cycle stands right now
Applications for the special December 2026 AOR re-appearance sitting closed on 15 October 2026; the hard-copy receipt deadline was 5:00 p.m. on that date. The examination is scheduled for 19, 20, 22 and 23 December 2026 in pen-and-paper mode. This is not a general first-time AOR application cycle. The application instructions below are historical, not an invitation to submit a new form or payment now. Eligible candidates should check their status and any later directions directly with the Supreme Court.
Key dates
- Application window (closed)
- 1 October to 15 October 2026 during office hours; now closed
- Hard-copy deadline (passed)
- 15 October 2026 at 5:00 p.m.; deadline passed
- AOR Examination — Day 1
- 19 December 2026
- AOR Examination — Day 2
- 20 December 2026
- AOR Examination — Day 3
- 22 December 2026
- AOR Examination — Day 4
- 23 December 2026
- Mode
- Pen & Paper only
Fees
- AOR Examination fee
- ₹750 through the Supreme Court IOPS portal → AOR Registration/Exam Fees → Fees for AOR Examinations → Bharatkosh
These are the authority’s own examination fees and are paid to the authority, not to ZELVU Education. Course fees are separate and are shown on the programme page.
Who can take it
- The December 2026 examination is only for candidates eligible to re-appear under Regulation 11(i) or 11(ii), arising from the June 2025 AOR result or earlier examinations.
- A candidate permitted to re-appear in one paper may choose either that one paper or the entire examination afresh. The option stated in the application is final and binding.
- A candidate who fails all papers is not permitted to appear in the next examination under Regulation 11(iii).
- A candidate who does not appear in all papers and fails any paper actually attempted is treated as having failed all papers, including papers not attempted.
- No candidate may exceed five chances under Regulation 11(iv). Appearance in even one paper counts as a chance. The December 2021 examination is excluded from the five-chance count under the stated one-time relaxation.
The steps, in order
- 1
First confirm that this December 2026 sitting applies to you
Do not treat the December 2026 notification as a general first-time AOR application. It is expressly restricted to Regulation 11(i)/(ii) re-appearance candidates from the June 2025 result or earlier examinations.
- 2
Choose one-paper re-appearance or the entire examination afresh
If your Regulation 11(i)/(ii) permission allows one-paper re-appearance, you may use that permission or elect to take all four papers afresh. The option entered in the proforma application is final and binding.
- 3
Historical application step: Annexure-A (closed)
1–15 October 2026 (closed)During the now-closed October 2026 application window, candidates were required to fill and sign Annexure-A, strike out non-applicable fields, attach a recent photograph and provide a self-attested legible enrolment certificate. These are historical requirements, not an open application.
- 4
Historical application step: ₹750 IOPS / Bharatkosh fee
Required during the closed application windowFor this closed December 2026 cycle, the notification required payment through Supreme Court e-Services → IOPS → AOR Registration/Exam Fees → Fees for AOR Examinations → Bharatkosh, with the receipt attached to the physical packet. Do not initiate a new payment based on this expired application timeline.
- 5
Historical application step: physical packet deadline passed
15 October 2026, 5:00 p.m. (passed)The now-closed notice required receipt of the application form, photograph, self-attested enrolment certificate and ₹750 payment receipt at the AOR Examination Cell, Room 308, 3rd Floor, B-Block, Administrative Buildings Complex, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi-110001 by the stated deadline. The Registry was not responsible for delays. This is historical destination information, not a current submission instruction.
- 6
Prepare the four notified papers
Paper I is Practice & Procedure of the Supreme Court. Paper II is Drafting. Paper III is Advocacy & Professional Ethics. Paper IV is Leading Cases. The December 2026 notification supplies clarifications for Drafting, a topic list for Ethics and an 86-case list for Paper IV.
- 7
Update Paper II drafting to the December 2026 notice
The notified drafting scope includes petitions of appeal; plaint and written statement in an Article 131 suit; Article 137 review petitions; transfer petitions under Section 25 CPC, Article 139 of the Constitution and Section 446 BNSS 2023 (corresponding to Section 406 CrPC 1973); contempt petitions under Article 129; and interlocutory applications including bail, condonation of delay, exemption from surrendering and revocation of special leave.
- 8
Update Paper III ethics to the notified study areas
The notice covers the nature and purpose of the profession, morality and ethics, seven lamps of advocacy, Advocates Act and misconduct, BCI duties and conduct rules, comparative ethics, adversarial-system issues, criminal defence and prosecutorial ethics, lawyer-client confidentiality and conflicts, Section 132 Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (corresponding to Section 126 Evidence Act 1872), counselling/negotiation/mediation, amicus ethics, current professional organisation, AOR duties, adjournments, supervisory role of the Supreme Court and contempt.
- 9
Prepare Paper IV from the official 86-case list
The December 2026 notification lists 86 leading cases. The Registry will make the bound headnotes available in the examination hall and they must be returned after the paper. The notification also notes that the headnotes are available on the Supreme Court website.
- 10
Do not treat absence after roll-number issue casually
The notification warns that a candidate who receives a roll number and then absents himself or herself will be treated as not sufficiently prepared under Regulation 5(b), and future appearance requires good reason and express permission of the Board of Examiners.
Questions callers ask
Can a first-time candidate apply for the December 2026 AOR examination?
Not under this notification. The December 2026 sitting is expressly limited to candidates eligible to re-appear under Regulation 11(i) or 11(ii) from the June 2025 result or earlier examinations.
If I am eligible to re-appear in one paper, must I take only that paper?
No. The notification says the one-paper permission is optional. You may instead choose to sit the entire examination afresh, but the choice made in the application is final and binding.
What is the application deadline?
The December 2026 special re-appearance application window ran from 1 to 15 October 2026 and is now closed. The hard-copy receipt deadline was 5:00 p.m. on 15 October 2026. Check the Supreme Court AOR Examination page for any subsequent notice; this guide does not reopen applications.
How was the December 2026 examination fee paid?
The expired December 2026 notice required a ₹750 fee through Supreme Court e-Services → IOPS → AOR Registration/Exam Fees → Fees for AOR Examinations → Bharatkosh, with the receipt submitted in the physical packet. Do not make a fresh payment based on this closed cycle.
Where were applications submitted for this closed sitting?
The expired notice directed applications to the AOR Examination Cell, Room 308, 3rd Floor, B-Block, Administrative Buildings Complex, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi-110001, in person or by post/courier subject to receipt by 15 October 2026. This is not a current filing instruction.
What are the four papers?
Practice & Procedure of the Supreme Court; Drafting; Advocacy & Professional Ethics; and Leading Cases.
How many leading cases are in the December 2026 list?
The notification lists 86 cases. Bound headnotes are supplied by the Registry in the examination hall for Paper IV and must be returned at the end.
How many chances are allowed?
A maximum of five chances. Appearance in even one paper counts as a chance. The notification states that the December 2021 examination is not reckoned as a chance under the one-time relaxation described in the 17 May 2024 circular.
Not yet published by the authority
- This notification does not open a general first-time AOR examination. A later general-cycle or 2027 notification should be tracked separately rather than inferred from the December 2026 re-appearance sitting.
- The four December 2026 dates are notified, but the notification excerpt does not allocate a specific paper to each date. Do not invent a paper-by-date sequence unless the Supreme Court publishes it.
ZELVU Education does not invent examination dates. When the authority publishes, this page is updated and the date is shown above.
Official sources
- Supreme Court of India — AOR Examination
- Supreme Court — AOR Examination December 2026 notification dated 25 September 2026
Preparing is the part we do.
Registration, fees and admission are between you and the authority. AOR Complete Programme covers the syllabus, the technique and the practice — taught lesson by lesson, with the reading material written out in full. Preparation support is not itself a qualification and no result is guaranteed.