SC rejects BCI plea on admissions to law colleges in state

We have decided that students graduating from unapproved colleges will not be allowed to practice law anywhere in the country.

The Supreme Court recently refused to accept the transfer of a public interest litigation from Bombay high court that questioned Bar Council of India’s (BCI) role in regulating admissions to law schools. The April 28 order by a bench of justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta stated that the transfer petition was dismissed.

The decision came after the HC ruled that law colleges did not need BCI’S approval to admit students.

In the run up to the law admissions last year, BCI had withheld approval of around half the law colleges in the state. The move led to significant delay in admission process and confusion among students.

In its affidavit before HC, filed in response to the PIL, the state government claimed that BCI is responsible for recognising law degrees issued by the universities. “The BCI is empowered to merely lay down standards of legal education, that too in consultation with the universities and state bar councils. There is no other provision in Advocate’s Act empoweringbcitoregulate and admissions of the institutes imparting legal education,” read the affidavit.

“Last year, the BCI had insisted on its approval for colleges but we realised that unlike All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the BCI is not a regulatory body for law colleges,” said Sitaram Kunte, principal secretary of state higher and technical education department.

However, BCI remained unfazed by the rejection. “Following the HC judgment, we decided that students graduating from unapproved colleges will not be allowed to practice law anywhere in the country,” said Satish Deshmukh, vice-president of BCI. He added, “In a few days, we will release the list of the institutes. Aspirants will have to take admission in these institutes at