In a response to the Bar Council of India’s recent directive debarring DU law grads from enrolling as advocates, the Dean of Law, Prof. Ashwani Bansal has sent a reply assuring BCI that steps are being taken to apply for the extension of affiliation.

The BCI had passed the stricture after the three Law Centres that fall under the Delhi University failed to obtain the necessary affiliation for the LLB course after 2011. It is the BCI’s stance that not only have the Law Centres failed to obtain affiliation but that there have been instances of “gross violation” of the BCI’s rules.

The Dean in his letter has requested BCI to withdraw its directive immediately and to continue the registration of LL.B. pass out students from the three centres of Faculty of Law.

Concerned about the impact of the directive, the Dean in his letter states that this directive would have serious consequences for the 1,600 students and the University.

In his letter, the Dean goes on to state that DU is a world renowned university with the best faculty and course content. He adds,

“I request you to consider the academic contributions of this Faculty of Law from 1924 and its three Centres and see that we in one institution which various executive members to Bar Council of various States and about present 80 High Court judges in all the States and large number of advocates and judges in lower judiciary. A lot of respect to the legal profession in all facets of legislature, advocates and courts comes from the three centres of faculty of law.

I assure you that we will take up all the remedial measures and we will fully cooperate with BCI in upkeeping the standards of legal education.”

The Dean’s letter is interesting in more ways than one, and certainly does not show the BCI in a good light. For instance, from the letter it appears that the BCI’s directive was to only apply from the next year onwards i.e. students graduating in 2015. However, relying on a “typographical error”, the BCI has now advanced this to the graduating class of 2014.

One can also question the merits of mentioning the alumnus that had graduated from DU, given that there is no denial of the fact that DU had not taken any steps for obtaining affiliation for the last five years.

It is to be seen now if the BCI will withdraw its directive. According to sources in the BCI, a meeting will be held tomorrow to consider this issue.

(HT to Junaid Nahvi for the tip. If anyone has a higher res version of the letter, please do send it to info@barandbench.com)