BCI directs law colleges to seek approval for courses annually

Updated on: Thursday, September 09, 2010

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has directed all the law colleges in the country to seek approval from the council on an annual basis. This will replace the existing system of granting permanent approval to the law colleges. The BCI has taken this decision to raise the standards of law education in the country which has been on the decline. There are 850 law colleges in the country and they will have to seek approval every year for their courses.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the Legal Education Committee of the BCI, which is headed by former Supreme Court judge A.P. Mishra. A member of the Legal Education Committee said that “The BCI has now taken a strict stance while dealing with all law institutes that do not have the faculty that meets the BCI regulations,” said a member of the Legal Education Committee. The BCI, after verification of relevant documents, found that certain teachers did not have the necessary qualifications to teach the subject they were dealing with.

For ensuring transparency, BCI has taken another decision to direct all law colleges to apply for the approval via filling a form on BCI's official website. The features of the form which will help assess the eligibility of a particular college for approval will include a 45 minute video of a lecture, details of faculty members, infrastructure and the number of students enrolled in the institute. The deadline for applying will be fixed after a final decision on the format of the form is taken.

This development will be of interest to the students as the Advocates Act mandates that it is necessary for a person to have studied in a law college that has been approved by the BCI to be eligible for practicing law as a profession.

BCI directs law colleges to seek approval for courses annually

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