BCI puts its foot down

PUNE, June 16: Not willing to take no for an answer, the Bar Council of India BCI reiterated that law degrees will not be recognised unles...

PUNE, June 16: Not willing to take no for an answer, the Bar Council of India BCI reiterated that law degrees will not be recognised unless the universities implemented the revised curriculum for the three and five year law course from the academic year 1998-99.

C M Balaraman, officiating secretary, BCI, in a letter addressed to registrars of all universities imparting legal education, law faculty deans and principals of law colleges on April 21, this year sounded yet another note of caution and ruled out the postponement of the implementation of the revised LLB degree course.

While the BCI admitted that it had considered various letters regarding the difficulties in the implementation of the revised curriculum including the inadequate number of teachers, distribution and contents of the syllabus in different subject and minimum marks for admission in the law courses, the legal education committee adopted a firm stance and ruled out the requests for postponement, Sureshchandra Bhosale, dean, Faculty of Law, University of Pune told media persons today.

Students wanting to opt for law as their career option may well take it seriously as not only has the number of subjects been increased, but with the introduction of the practical training component in the curriculum, the course ensures long hours for the wannabe lawyers. The University of Pune immediately worked out the syllabus for the first year of the three and five year law degree course and will implement it from the current academic year, Bhosale said.

In case of the three year degree course the revised curriculum will start with effect from this academic year. The course which had a total of six papers earlier will now have nine and will include consumer protection laws while the revised law subjects will start from the third year of the five year LLB degree course. It will be optiional for the universities and colleges to teach appropriate law subjects at the pre-law stage but not vice-versa.

Practical training papers like moot court pre trial preparation, participation in trial proceedings, drafting, pleading and convincing, professional ethics, accountancy for lawyers and bar bench relations and legal aid and para legal aid service can be spread over the second and third year.

Papers on Contract Act and Specific Relief Act apart from human righths, international law, environment law, international economic laws, bankcruptcy law, conflict of laws, air and space law, law and medicine, women and law and family Law paper I and II have found their way in the revised curriculum. There are eight law colleges affiliated to the University of Pune with five in Pune city itself. As per the norms, the total number of students should not exceed 1,600 in each college.