Can BCI run a law college? Prashant Bhushan says he will file plea in Supreme Court

Advocate Prashant Bhushan told the Supreme Court on Monday that he was in the process of filing a petition against the Bar Council of India (BCI) running a law college.

While he did not give any specific details, Bhushan might have been referring to the India International University of Legal Education and Research (IIULER) at Goa, which is an initiative of BCI.

"Bar Council cannot run a law college. In fact, we are filing a petition regarding that - that the Bar Council cannot run a law college. That they are regulating these law colleges and they are running a law college," Bhushan told the Court.

He made the comment while arguing a different case challenging the provisions of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025 (SHANTI Act) concerning liability arising from nuclear accidents.

The IIULER is an initiative of the BCI Trust-Pearl First. It was established in 2022 and offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research courses.

Recently, the BCI had announced that it is proposing to set up a National Legal Academy (NLA) at IIULER to provide compulsory training for all lawyers.

In this regard, BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said on August 9,

'Young lawyers from all over the country will come to gain training at the Academy. It will be compulsory training for all lawyers. It will be a 10 days or 2 weeks course. All the students of IIULER will also get the opportunity to interact with honourable judges, trainers, noted professors and senior advocates." 

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