Relief for law aspirants in Maharashtra, Bar Council allows colleges to admit students with one condition
Several prominent law colleges in Maharashtra were found to be initially absent from the list of institutions approved for the Common Admission Process.
4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Aug 11, 2026 04:28 PM IST
The law colleges in Maharashtra have been given time until August 31 to complete the prescribed process on the BCI portal, submit the required documents and pay all applicable fees and dues.
In a significant relief to thousands of law aspirants in Maharashtra, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has granted one-time conditional approval to all existing eligible law colleges in the state to participate in the ongoing admissions process for the current academic year.
The deadline to submit college choices for the first round of the Common Admission Process (CAP) for three- and five-year LLB programmes ends on Tuesday.
The decision comes against the backdrop of uncertainty over this year’s law admissions in the state, after several prominent colleges were found to be initially absent from the list of institutions approved for CAP. While most of the sought-after colleges are added to the list of approved colleges by now, over 100 out of 357 law colleges were out of the system on the last day of choice-filling for students.
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The colleges have been given time until August 31 to complete the prescribed process on the BCI portal, submit the required documents and pay all applicable fees and dues.
The national regulatory body for legal education has also clarified that the latest move is only a one-time measure restricted to Maharashtra alone for the 2026-27 academic year, considering that the centralised admission process — for 3-year as well as 5-year programmes — has already started.
The BCI’s Legal Education Committee communication on August 10 stated that the said decision was taken “having regard to the ongoing CAP Round 1 option-form deadline up to August 11.”
Last week, Srimanto Sen, Principal Secretary, BCI, told The Indian Express about a possible relief from BCI, considering the law admission logjam in Maharashtra.
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Conditions apply
The approval is, however, subject to several conditions. It is restricted to existing Centres of Legal Education (CLEs), their existing law courses, approved sections and sanctioned intake, and is subject to valid university affiliation for the 2026-27 academic year and verification of BCI records. Importantly, the one-time measure will not apply to new law colleges, new law courses, additional sections or enhancement of sanctioned intake. Such cases will continue to require separate consideration and specific approval from the BCI.
The central body has clarified that the order does not waive or regularise any past non-compliance or fee liability, or issues relating to earlier academic sessions. The regulator has also made it clear that the arrangement is an exceptional measure restricted to Maharashtra and the 2026-27 academic session and “shall not constitute a precedent for any other State or academic session.”
The Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell had earlier said that the colleges would be added in subsequent admission rounds. Accordingly, the auto-freeze option was cancelled for the first time, allowing students to wait for betterment until CAP Round 3 and modify their option forms in each round to add colleges of their choice once they received approval.
However, the BCI’s August 10 decision has now brought clarity to the issue. The latest order effectively removes the immediate approval hurdle for existing eligible colleges for the current admission cycle, although they will still have to complete the prescribed compliance process by the August 31 deadline.
Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra.
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