Unapproved Online LLM Courses Under Scrutiny by BCI

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has warned that legal education programs offering LLM degrees online or in hybrid modes without its approval are unauthorized. The BCI has issued advisories to the High Courts, emphasizing that such degrees will be considered invalid and will not be recognized for any professional purposes.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has taken a firm stance against unauthorized Master of Laws (LLM) programs being offered online or through hybrid modes without required approval. The BCI's advisory, backed by Justice (retd) Rajendra Menon, stresses that these programs are unauthorized and unrecognized.

This advisory to the High Courts on June 25 warns that any LLM or equivalent legal program offered without BCI's prior approval is invalid and will not be acknowledged for employment or academic purposes. Even institutions like IIT Kharagpur and National Law University, Delhi, have been served show-cause notices by the BCI.

Justice Menon stated that using the 'LLM' label without proper authorization misleads students. These unauthorized degrees will not be accepted for academic or judicial appointments, or for UGC-NET eligibility. The BCI urges strict adherence to legal education regulations to avoid academic fraud.

(With inputs from agencies.)