AICLET

India has its own "Harvard", National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, the country's first NLU and also the holy grail for law hopefuls in the nation. NLSIU was established in 1987 and started a new tradition of legal education by sacrificing the traditional lectures-based courses and adopting an inter-disciplinary and practice-oriented approach.

Whereas Harvard Law School has produced presidents, Nobel laureates, and Supreme Court judges, NLSIU also boasts no less impressive an alum list. Among them are Supreme Court judges and High Court judges, senior counsels, top managing partners of India's top law firms, policy strategists, scholars, and even politicians who determine the fate of the nation.

The Harvard analogy is not so much prestige-oriented—though it would otherwise so appear—it's a reaction to the way NLSIU transformed India's legal world. It set the standard for all other NLUs to keep pace, created a competitive arena with CLAT (Common Law Admission Test), and is still the rank-holders' favorite every year.

With its global alumnus network, pioneering course syllabus, and limitless pursuit of academic excellence, NLSIU has emerged as the epitome of legal education. If the West's apogee of legal education is Harvard Law School, NLSIU Bangalore is unmistakably India's answer—the law school that continues to redefine, shape, and inspire the East's future of law.

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday submitted a review petition in the Supreme Court requesting that its September 1 directive mandating all in-service teachers to clear the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) within two years of joining be reconsidered, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi informed reporters in Tiruchy yesterday, Tuesday, September 31.

The minister said the review petition challenged the Supreme Court order and grounds of relation, highlighting that retrospective effect of the mandatory TET rule would adversely affect 3.28 lakh teachers who had over five years of service remaining and about 67,000 close to retirement, The New Indian Express adds.

If the experienced teachers are declared to be unqualified or made to retire, it will leave schools empty in tens of thousands of schools, threatening the future of millions of children," he cautioned.

He further stated that the state was also considering the option of implementing special legislations in the next Assembly session to safeguard teachers and avoid disruption to the school education system.

Referring to the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) statement of August 23, 2010, exempting teachers appointed prior to the date from the TET requirement, Poyyamozhi said the state has asked that this exemption be continued.

"We have requested clarification that pre-2010 appointees should be eligible for promotion, and TET prospectively only for new appointments and promotions on or after 2010," he added.

The minister underlined that the government would implement the Supreme Court order unchanged and it could lead to an unprecedented deficit of more than four lakh teachers, which the state could not fill within two years. 

Such a situation, he asserted, would endanger rural, hilly, and disadvantaged children's right to education who have no other option but government schools.

In India, Law aspirants favor National Law Universities (NLUs). When a student is thinking of studying at an NLU, one should know the advantages as well as the possible obstacles of studying there. Here are the key advantages and disadvantages of attending an NLU that will allow students to make a better choice regarding law education.

Pros of Studying in NLU

Quality Legal Education

NLUs have one of the best law programs in India, experienced faculty, a good curriculum and prescribed teaching methods. It focuses on both theory and practical skills in order to provide a good grounding in law.

Great Placement Opportunity.

NLUs are well-linked with the leading law firms, corporate houses, government legal departments, and NGOs. Good placement support is offered by many NLUs allowing students to get internship opportunities and employment offers in reputed organisations.

Infrastructure and Resources.

Most NLUs have modern libraries, moot court halls, and access to legal databases. These resources support students in their studies and research work.

Diverse Peer Group

Entry into NLUs is very competitive and it relies on the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). Students all around India have an opportunity to study in one place, this creates a diverse student community and adds to the learning experiences.

Focus on Practical Learning

NLUs give a lot of importance to activities like moot court competitions, internships, and workshops. These help students gain real-world experience and prepare them well for their future legal work.

Cons of Studying in NLU

High Competition and Pressure.

Admission in NLU is very difficult. Students may be subjected to stress by the competition. Also, coursework may be strenuous.

Low Curriculum Flexibility.

The curriculum at NLUs is quite structured, which means there are fewer options to choose electives or explore subjects outside law. This might limit students who want to study other areas alongside law

Relocation and Adjustment

There are numerous NLUs in small towns or cities. Students might experience difficulty adjusting in new locations particularly beyond their homes and large urban centres.

Differences in Quality Among NLUs.

Faculty, infrastructure and placement vary significantly across different NLUs. The quality of resources and opportunities available to some NLUs might not be as good as in the best ones, which will influence the overall experience.

Fee Structure

Though generally more affordable than private colleges, some NLUs may still have fees that could be a concern for students from less privileged backgrounds.

There are numerous positive points in studying in an NLU, such as high-quality education, good internship opportunities, and placement opportunities, whereas there are also such negative aspects as intense competition and the problem of adjustment. These benefits and drawbacks must be well considered by students according to their individual preferences and career objectives in order to decide the most appropriate way to study law.

The Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC) on Monday reported to the Madras High Court that circulars have been issued to all registered medical practitioners stating that conducting conversion therapy and unethical treatment of trans people would lead to stringent action involving suspension of the registration of medical practitioners. It also stated that these problems would be introduced into the ambit of continuing medical education (CME) in order to sensitize the doctors.

The submission was before Justice N Anand Venkatesh when the petitions dealing with LGBTQIA+ matters were taken up for hearing.

The legal counsel representing the TNMC stated that the circulars had been issued on September 12, 2025, informing that the TNMC is vested with power to initiate disciplinary proceedings on any complaint received regarding any attempt/interventions to alter the sexual orientation and/or gender identity of an individual, which is also known as 'conversion therapy', which shall be interpreted as 'professional misconduct' on the part of the medical professionals and suitable action shall be initiated in accordance with the prevailing rules.

Any type of so-called conversion therapy or coercive medical/psychological practice for changing the sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics of an individual is strictly prohibited by the circulars. This is deemed to be unethical and could attract disciplinary action under TNMC rules.

All clinicians are bound by a professional and ethical obligation to deliver healthcare on an non-discriminatory basis in terms of gender identity, gender expression or intersex status. Dignified, respectful and inclusive care must be guaranteed at all phases of medical interaction, it added.

Declaring that its ethics committee will consider complaints of misbehaviour or discriminatory attitude against transgender and intersex individuals as high-priority disciplinary cases, the council instructed all registered medical practitioners to hold themselves to these guidelines in letter and spirit and failure to do so would be taken seriously and may invite disciplinary action including suspension of registration.

Chief Minister's Instruction on Teacher Eligibility Test

On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the Basic Education Department to move a review petition before the Supreme Court's order making the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) compulsory for existing teachers. He stressed that the state teachers are trained and experienced and have been regularly trained by the government, and therefore it was not right to ignore their experience and years of service.

The Chief Minister's office posted on social media that Yogi Adityanath has ordered the department to appeal the order of the Supreme Court that the TET requirement should be applied to existing teachers. He reaffirmed that the teachers of the state are experienced professionals who had been trained from time to time by the government, and their qualifications and tenure should not be overlooked.

Over the last five days, two teachers in Uttar Pradesh, aged between their forties and fifties, ended their lives under tragic circumstances. Sources indicate they were under pressure to pass the TET and that they could not handle it. Their kin state that the anxiety of preparing for the TET was the reason behind their misery.

On September 1, 2025, a bench led by Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Augustine George Masih held that all government school teachers with over five years' experience have to clear the TET, or else they have to resign or be compulsorily retired. The ruling was given in the context of teacher appointment cases heard in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra but has countrywide implications and will affect almost a million teachers, with some 200,000 in Uttar Pradesh alone.

In an attempt to bring an end to suicides among students in the country's universities, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the UGC to keep in mind — within two months — while preparing the draft mechanism to effectively deal with ragging, sexual harassment, and caste, gender, disability, and other forms of discrimination.

A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court presided over by Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was listening to a bunch of PILs brought by Rohit Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula and A Salim Tadvi, mother of Payal Tadvi, against caste-based discrimination in institutions of higher learning.

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the University Grants Commission (UGC) to take into consideration the recommendations and opinions of Vemula and Tadvi students' mothers, who were alleged to have taken their own lives after being harassed on the basis of their caste in their respective campuses.

It is worth noting that Vemula, a PhD student at Hyderabad Central University, died on 17th January 2016 and Tadvi, an exam student at TN Topiwala National Medical College, died on 22nd May 2019 following alleged discrimination by three doctors at her college.

The Centre's Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre, cleared to the court on Monday that the draft rules had been circulated and an expert committee had scrutinized more than 300 objections received.

Mehta's arguments were noted by the bench since the law officer contended that a lot of effective provisions regarding measures to counter ragging and other aspects such as caste prejudices were elaborated.

"These are exclusion of discriminatory behavior, provisions of non-segregation such as exclusion to institutions of higher learning to allocate hostels, classrooms or batches of practice/laboratory based on the rank of admission or performance in academics, and exclusion from public display of merit lists or segregation based on the rank on the campus, and excluding rank-based buddy systems for academic support, which have a tendency to marginalize students from disadvantaged groups," he added further.

In earlier April, the apex court had exempted the UGC to issue the draft regulations 2025, which address ragging, sexual harassment, and caste, gender, disability, among other prejudices in institutions of higher learning.

In PIL on caste discrimination in higher educational institutions, the Supreme Court had previously requested UGC to provide details regarding the number of Central, state, deemed, and private universities and higher educational institutions that have established Equal Opportunity Cells and complaints received under UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012, and action taken reports.

The petitioners had approached the top court to prevent caste discrimination in universities and higher educational institutions.

The plea made by mothers of Vemula and Tadvi had sought apt directions from the top court to initiate effective steps to prevent caste discrimination in varsities and higher educational institutions.

The petition also requested that orders be issued to each university and higher learning institution to put on their website all the steps for the eradication of caste discrimination and procedure.

The petition claimed that there have been instances of discrimination based on caste some times. It also said in their appeal that immediate orders and instructions be issued not to practice caste-based discrimination in universities and institutes of higher learning.