The Bar Council of India (BCI) has decided to discontinue with the current system of granting permanent approval to law colleges across India. In its new decision, it affirmatively wants law colleges to apply each academic year for a fresh approval from the BCI, in order to run the legal education institutions.

Speaking with Bar & Bench, Dr. Shashikala Gurpur, Principal of Symbiosis Law School (Pune) said, "This new rule will encourage law schools which maintain high standards of quality on their own initiative, but it will also act like a warning to those law schools which do not comply with quality standards. Quality and regulatory compliance are an integral part of each other". 

She added, "There will be no implications on Symbiosis. Whether it is a deemed university, State or Central run university, the constituent or an affiliated university has to fulfil the norms of the Bar Council of India".

The BCI came to this decision on September 4, at a meeting of the BCI’s Legal Education Committee (LEC) headed by former Supreme Court Judge A.P. Misra.

Speaking to an insider from the BCI, who said, “It’s not exactly a rule, but what happened at the last two LEC meetings is, whenever approval has been given to courses they have been given ordinarily for one year. This is to keep a stricter check and these approvals have been given on a number of conditions. By having law colleges apply every year and not giving permanent recognition to any college, a check is maintained because they have to anyway apply for new approvals for additional courses each year or to increase the number of sections or for starting a 5 year course”.

“At the LEC meeting, 15-20 new law colleges have been refused recognition and some of the old established law colleges have been closed down. The BCI has decided to upload the list of 45-50 derecognised colleges on its website soon. The impact of this de-recognition will affect the law college from now onwards and will not affect the students who have been enrolled, and are presently studying. No new admissions will take place in these de-recognised colleges. In a case where there is a university to which six law colleges are affiliated and we decide to close one of them, then we are writing to the university to make arrangements for the students in the other colleges, as we cannot allow the students to suffer”.

“The BCI also wants to regulate LL.M and PhDs. Now the BCI is creating more chances of inspection and that’s what has been the real problem with the BCI. When we talk of corruption regarding inspection, the committee used to go and inspect, took favours and in return used to submit a good report. Now everybody is thorough with the rules and we have put down basics like talking about the student : faculty ratio. A whole format has been created which needs to be necessarily filled in by every college. This will become a basis for everyone who in future conducts these inspections. A system is being created wherein, verification teams from the Directorate of Legal Education visit colleges for a second round of checks and balances, after the first round of inspection has been conducted by the BCI members”.

In order for an Advocate to practice, a person must be a pass-out from a BCI approved institute. Bar & Bench had earlier quoted a source from the BCI who said, “The pruning has started and the standard set is very high”.