Supreme Court Questions BCI's Role in Law Education Reform

The Supreme Court scrutinized the Bar Council of India's involvement in law colleges' academic affairs, pointing out that curriculum decisions should rest with academicians. The court challenged BCI's 2021 decision affecting LLM courses and urged focus on lawyer training. Responses from the Centre and UGC are awaited.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court challenged the Bar Council of India (BCI) over its role in meddling with academic affairs at law colleges. The court emphasized that such responsibilities should be handled by academicians, particularly in the context of curriculum design and decisions.

The bench, composed of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, was hearing petitions against BCI's 2021 directive to eliminate the one-year LLM course and to derecognize foreign LLM degrees. The judges underlined that BCI should focus on its primary duties of training and updating lawyers' skills.

In response to senior advocate Vivek Tankha's defense of the existing system, the court highlighted the need for academic experts to lead legal education. As the case continues, the Supreme Court awaits feedback from the Centre and the University Grants Commission, while sidelining future discussions to July.

(With inputs from agencies.)