Process Applications of 11 Law Colleges, Madras HC Directs Bar Council of India

The Madras High Court has instructed the Bar Council of India (BCI) to decide on requests made by 11 private law colleges in Tamil Nadu, for sanction to increase student intake and the introduction of new courses, within three weeks. A division bench of Justices R. Suresh Kumar and Shamim Ahmed delivered the order while hearing a batch of petitions by the law colleges which sought a direction to the BCI to consider their applications that were pending for the next academic year. However, seven colleges challenged the BCI’s decision to return their applications along with the fees, while two other colleges sought a direction for processing of their applications, as their fees had not been refunded.

During the course of arguments, it was also brought to the court’s notice that the applications of two additional law colleges were pending with the BCI, taking the total number of affected institutions to 11.

The bench observed that there was no legal ban or restriction on the BCI from processing the applications. Therefore, the court ordered the BCI to clear all pending applications within three weeks of receiving a copy of the order.

To ensure the timely processing of their applications, the court also ordered the law colleges whose applications had been returned to submit their applications again within three days.

The order is likely to be a source of relief for private law colleges in Tamil Nadu that have been waiting for regulatory clearance to increase their capacities and diversify their courses. The players involved in legal education contend that the court's ruling may avert an academic crisis and provide a smoother admission process for the next session.