Bar Council turns down applications of 55 law colleges

THE BCI’S DECISION IS PART OF ITS SUSTAINED EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE STANDARDS OF EXISTING LAW COLLEGES

NEW DELHI: The Bar Council of India (BCI) on Saturday rejected applications by 55 colleges asking for recognition to start fresh law courses, a move seen as an attempt to restrict the number of institutions offering undergraduate legal studies courses.

The council’s decision came after its members held day-long deliberations on the applications BCI received between July and December 2019. The majority of the applications was from institutions in Uttar Pradesh. The BCI’s move could potentially spur a series of litigation, a senior member said.

According to the procedure, institutions approach the council for approval of affiliation after a state university grants it. Being the apex disciplinary body for lawyers, the BCI is also the regulator for legal education. “The procedure requires the college to first develop infrastructure and then apply to the state government’s higher education department for a no-objection [certificate]. Thereafter, the state university gives affiliation, which the BCI approves upon receiving an application from the college,” said the member cited above.

In all, the 55 cases colleges were accorded affiliation from the respective state university. “We are expecting the colleges to go to court but we are ready with our counter argument. There is no need for new colleges and the existing ones are sufficient to feed the legal system at present,” said BCI co-chairman Ved Prakash Sharma. BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra had chaired the meeting. The BCI’s decision is part of its sustained efforts to improve the standards of existing law colleges since the body has recently come under severe criticism for approving institutions found to be flouting UGC norms.