Several law colleges in Kerala lack Bar Council of India accreditation, Kozhikode Government Law College (GLC) has told the Kerala High Court [Muhammed Anwar Saidu v Bar Council of India & Ors]

GLC Kozhikode submitted a written note to that effect in a petition concerning the alleged lapse of BCI affiliation for the 5-year integrated BBA LLB (Hons) course at GLC Kozhikode. 

The submission was made in response to a plea by a law graduate who had completed his 5-year LLB from GLC Kozhikode but later discovered that the course lacked BCI approval as the same had expired in 2011.

Taking note of GLC's statement, Justice VG Arun posted the matter to December 8 for further hearing.

Muhammed Anwar Saidu, the petitioner approached the Court after he discovered that his law degree from GLC Kozhikode for BBA LLB (Hons) was rejected by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) in Canada, holding that his degree was not a qualifying law degree under NCA standards.

According to the petitioner, the official BCI list showed that GLC, Kozhikode's 5-year integrated law program had approval only upto the academic year of 2011, though admissions and examinations continued and even certificates were issued to students by the Calicut University on completion of the course.

When the matter had earlier came up for hearing, the Court had sought the BCI's response to the plea.

In the mean time, GLC Kozhikode, placed its statement explaining the reason behind the missing BCI approval.

The College submitted that it switched from the BA LLB programme to the integrated BBA LLB (Hons) programme based on the directions from the University of Calicut and in line with the BCI legal Education Rules, 2008.

Since 2012, it has been writing to the BCI seeking inspection and renewal of their affiliation, the college said.

According to the statement, a BCI inspection team visited the college only in 2016, examined relevant documents, physical infrastructure, academic quality and even interacted with the students, while appreciating the college for adhering to the prescribed standards for affiliation.

However, no communication from the BCI followed after that inspection, even after the college sent multiple reminders through letters, emails and phone calls.

It was further stated that in January this year, the BCI asked the college to remit ₹18.5 lakh as default fee and ₹5 lakh as guarantee fee.

Accordingly the college paid the amounts but no receipt or acknowledgment was issued.

The statement also recorded that more than ₹24 lakh was previously paid by the college towards inspection charges which also remained unacknowledged by the BCI.

Further, it was stated that when the current principal took charge, he had initiated the online registration process required for affiliation after the BCI portal link was activated in May 2025 and while the college succeeded in completing the process for the 3-year LLB course, the same could not be completed for the the 5-year programme due to technical issues on the portal.

Significantly, the statement emphasised that the absence of BCI approval was not unique to GLC Kozhikode and that Government Law Colleges at Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram along with several other legal education centres in the state were also awaiting affiliation due to non-inspections by the BCI.

The college stressed that students aiming for higher studies, especially abroad, continue to suffer without valid BCI affiliation and urged BCI to take steps to complete the registration process for the courses.

"The students of these other colleges, who intend to pursue higher studies in foreign universities would also suffer due to the absence of affiliation by the BCI for the respective colleges," the statement added.

When the matter was taken up on December 2, the counsel for the petitioner requested the Court for interim relief by way of a direction to the BCI to issue an equivalency certificate.

The Court however orally directed the petitioner to make a representation before the BCI first and that it would consider relief thereafter.

The matter will be heard next on December 8.

The petitioner was represented by advocates S Rajeev, V Vinay, MS Aneer, Sarath KP, Anilkumar Cr, KS Kiran Krishnan, Dipa V, Akash Cherian Thomas and Azad Sunil.

Standing counsel Rajit appeared for BCI.