DU law grads barred from enrolment after BCI directive; BCI says “gross violation” of rules

Students who graduated from Delhi University in 2014 are not eligible to enroll as advocates, following a recent directive by the Bar Council of India. The BCI has 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.

A letter dated September 22, 2014 (erroneously dated as “2012”) addressed to DU’s Vice Chancellor indicates that the decision was made by the BCI on the third of this month. Referring to the earlier letter, the September 22 letter clarifies that,

“Therefore in absence of extension of approval of affiliation of these law centres, the students who were admitted in the year 2011-12 onwards…are not eligible for enrolment as advocates. You are therefore advised to take appropriate action….”

According to sources with DU, the Dean of Law, Ashwani Bansal had held a meeting on September 13 on this very issue. It is understood that each of the three Law Centres that fall under DU would be independently inspected for affiliation. Dean Bansal was not reachable at the time of going to print although an e-mail sent from his office on September 12 indicates that the three Law Centres had till December to arrange an inspection and complete the affiliation process.

Entrusted with regulating legal education, the BCI conducts regular inspections of law institutes presumably to ensure that certain standards are met. According to BCI Secretary, JR Sharma, this recent letter is a culmination of events that began in 2010. In that year, the BCI had written to DU, asking the university to apply for BCI affiliation. It is Sharma’s contention that despite sending reminders for “regularisation”, there was no response. Ultimately, the BCI was left with no other option but to debar the law graduates from enrolling as advocates.

Unfortunately, it is the students who are bearing the brunt of this tussle, with their career plans effectively being put on hold. It is also important to note that for some reason, the BCI considers each Law Centre to be an independent institution, raising questions on the exact status of each centre within the DU structure itself.

(HT to Deveshi Mishra for the tip)