UGC Notification mandates 2-year minimum duration for LL.M. degree; Questions loom over newly introduced 1-year course

A notification published by the University Grants Commission on July 5, 2014 may signal the abrupt end of the one-year LL.M. program that was recently introduced in various law schools. Furthermore, the said notification also lays down certain guidelines for “integrated” courses such as the increasing popular 5-year BA LLB degree that is offered at various law institutes across the country.

The notification clearly mentions that the minimum duration of an LL.M. course is two years; failure to comply with this regulation would render the degree “unrecognized” by the UGC.  What is worrying is the fact that less than two years ago, the UGC had actually approved the one-year LL.M. degree following which a number of law universities began offering the course.

To further complicate matters, it appears that some, if not all, law universities are unaware of the notification itself. Professor Faizan Mustafa, the Vice Chancellor at NALSAR University, said that there is a possibility of this notification being corrected by a subsequent corrigendum. If not, he is prepared to challenge the new provisions, stating that the UGC must evaluate the one-year course for at least five years before de-recognising it.

When it comes to the integrated courses, the notification mandates that the total duration of the course cannot be less than the sum of the individual degrees. However, there is a proviso to this, namely if there is no “lateral” exit or entry option in the course, then the duration may be reduced by upto twenty per cent. Effectively, this would mean that the five-year course can continue.

You can read the entire notification below.