MARCHING AHEAD
IN ITS 25TH YEAR, NLIU STRIVES TO SOON BECOME THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY AND HAVE ITS STUDENTS SHINE ACROSS ALL FIELDS
by Rahul Noronha
Established in 1997 through a legislation passed by the Madhya Pradesh assembly, the National Law Institute University (NLIU) was only the second institute to offer the five-year integrated BA LLB programme, after NLSIU.
Now in its 25th year, NLIU is introducing two unique courses this academic session—a five-year BSc LLB programme in cyber security, and a two-year Insolvency Programme. “Both courses are born out of demand from industry,” says NLIU vice-chancellor Dr V. Vijayakumar. The idea for the cyber security course, which will have an intake of 60-plus students annually, came during his visits to NACIN, the academy that trains IRS officers, who were grappling with the issue of fake vouchers being raised for GST filing. “In 2021, 546 officers of various government departments underwent training in the cyber security diploma course that precedes the fiveyear BSc LLB course. That is when we realised the demand for the course,” he adds. The insolvency course addresses the legal needs of bankers or largely any company filing for insolvency.
NLIU is also setting up a new 4,000 sq. ft forensics lab with proprietary software to replace its earlier lab that used open source software. NLIU enrols 134 students in its flagship BA LLB fiveyear programme. All admissions are through CLAT except for the PhD and Masters in Cyber Law and Information Security (MCLIS) programmes.
On the academic front, NLIU has an internal quality assurance cell. Academics follows a bottom-up rather than a top-down approach, with teachers suggesting what they wish to do to get best results. “We practise an outcomebased education model,” says the V-C. The semester system has replaced the trimester system. NLIU has also done away with multiple choice questions in exams and introduced project-based learning to encourage reading, referencing and filing—key skills for a lawyer.
“In the coming years, internationalising NLIU is a major challenge. I wish to have more exchange programmes for students and teachers with overseas universities,” the VC adds.
So what sets NLIU apart from other law schools? “The integration of technology and law is better at NLIU. Our students are more employable,” says the V-C. Law firms and banks come to NLIU for campus recruitment. Many opt to practise law on their own. Yet other alumni have made a name for themselves in administration, policy and even the armed forces.