NALSAR tiff only latest in long history of conflict between BCI and law students
A recent Supreme Court ruling clarified that the Bar Council of India (BCI) lacks the authority to take disciplinary action against law students. This decision follows a long-standing conflict between the BCI and law schools regarding the extent of the council's regulatory power.
Why it matters
The ruling establishes a clear legal boundary between the BCI's role in regulating legal practice and the autonomy of educational institutions.
The recent controversy over Bar Council of India’s (BCI) chairperson, Manan Kumar Mishra, ordering that the outgoing batch of National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University, Hyderabad, students be prevented from enrolling as advocates in State Bar Councils has drawn attention to the adversarial relationship between law students and BCI over the years. A Bench led by the Chief Justice of India ruled that the BCI has no power to “take disciplinary action against a law student” and noted that the BCI may prescribe and enforce standards of legal education, but its functional role comes in only after law students graduate and register as advocates.
(Sign up for THEdge, The Hindu’s weekly education newsletter.)
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in