AIBE cheat sheet

Legal Aptitude and Bar Examination Syllabus Subjects (AIBE)

• AIBE (All India Bar Examination) is an open-book qualifying examination conducted under the Bar Council of India; it tests foundational knowledge rather than advanced specialization, and passing is a precondition for practice as an advocate in India.

• The paper is objective (multiple choice), and since 2020 the BCI has administered it in an open-book format using a permitted list of bare acts; candidates may carry only the acts on the official list, not commentaries or guides.

• The syllabus is organized around the mandatory law subjects taught in the LL.B. curriculum: constitutional law, administrative law, civil procedure, criminal procedure, evidence, contract, torts, family law, property, company law, labour law, environmental law, human rights, and professional ethics.

• Constitutional law questions turn on Articles of the Constitution: fundamental rights (Articles 12-35), directive principles (Articles 36-51), and the basic structure doctrine derived from Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973).

• Criminal law is split between substantive law (Indian Penal Code / Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) and procedural law (CrPC / Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita); know the elements of offences (mens rea plus actus reus) and the classification of offences as cognizable/non-cognizable and bailable/non-bailable.

• Civil procedure questions test the Code of Civil Procedure: jurisdiction (territorial, pecuniary, subject-matter), res judicata (Section 11), and the order of pleadings; criminal procedure questions test FIR, investigation, charge, and trial stages.

• The Indian Evidence Act (now Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam) turns on the distinction between relevancy (Sections 5-55) and admissibility, the rule against hearsay, and the standard of proof: beyond reasonable doubt in criminal cases, preponderance of probabilities in civil cases.

• Contract law (Indian Contract Act, 1872) requires offer, acceptance, consideration, capacity, free consent, and lawful object; a contract without consideration is void except under the exceptions in Section 25, and a minor's agreement is void ab initio under Mohori Bibee v. Dharmodas Ghose (1903).

• Professional ethics is tested through the Advocates Act, 1961 and the BCI Rules: duties to the court, duties to the client, conflict of interest, and the prohibition on advertising or soliciting work. Neglect of these rules is a recurring question area.