New Delhi: In a decisive step toward preserving the credibility of legal education in India, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has issued a formal advisory against the proliferation of unapproved LL.M. (Master of Laws) programmes offered in online, distance, or hybrid formats. This advisory reinforces the exclusive regulatory role of the BCI and emphasizes compliance with existing legal and academic frameworks.
The letter, authored by Justice Rajendra Menon, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and Co-Chairman of the Standing Committee on Legal Education, was addressed to the Registrar Generals of all High Courts as well as the Supreme Court of India. Copies of the letter were also circulated to universities and State Bar Councils to ensure compliance and initiate appropriate action.
The advisory reiterates the binding authority of Supreme Court rulings, the UGC (Open and Distance Learning) Regulations, 2020, and BCI's own Legal Education Rules (2008 and 2020), under which LL.M. programmes must secure prior approval before being conducted via non-traditional methods. Any deviation, it warns, threatens the standard, uniformity, and legal sanctity of postgraduate legal education across the country.
Letter issued in this regards stated that, alarmed by the growing number of institutions offering programmes under alternative titles such as LL.M. (Professional), Executive LL.M., or M.Sc. in Cyber Law, the BCI has highlighted that many of these courses are being run without mandatory approvals. Such practices, it stated, not only violate Supreme Court directives but also mislead students and degrade academic quality. (ANI)
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