BCI orders nationwide physical inspection of law colleges, warns universities against paper compliance and illegal shift-based courses

NEW DELHI: In a sweeping move aimed at tightening the quality of legal education across the country, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has directed all universities imparting legal education to conduct mandatory physical inspections of every affiliated and constituent law college before granting, renewing or continuing affiliation.

The regulator has also ordered universities to identify and discontinue impermissible weekend, evening, compressed and shift-based law programmes that are being run in violation of the Rules of Legal Education, 2008. The directions were issued through a communication dated August 4, 2026, addressed to Vice-Chancellors, Registrars, Deans and Heads of Law Faculties across the country.

According to the BCI, the decision follows the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s judgment in All Saints Christian Education Society v. State of Andhra Pradesh, which reaffirmed that the minimum standards prescribed under the Rules of Legal Education are mandatory and must be enforced by universities. The decision was taken by the Standing Committee on Legal Education under the chairmanship of former Delhi High Court Chief Justice Rajendra Menon.

Stating that affiliation cannot be reduced to a mere paperwork exercise, the BCI has categorically directed universities not to rely only on affidavits, self-declarations, photographs or documents uploaded on online portals while assessing compliance. Instead, universities have been instructed to undertake institution-specific physical verification covering every course, section, campus and premises from where legal education is being imparted.

The communication has laid down an extensive inspection framework requiring universities to verify ownership or lawful lease of land and buildings, original title deeds, approved building plans, occupancy certificates, actual land and built-up area, separate classrooms for every section, moot court halls, tutorial rooms, faculty rooms, libraries, legal databases, internet facilities, sports infrastructure, fire safety and sanitation certificates, appointment of qualified full-time principals and faculty, teacher-student ratio, attendance records, classroom teaching, practical legal training and financial records.

Inspection teams have also been directed to verify whether approved premises have been diverted for commercial purposes or shared with other institutions. Expressing concern over institutions running multiple law programmes through morning-evening shifts, weekend classes, compressed schedules or overlapping arrangements to compensate for inadequate infrastructure or faculty.

The BCI has expressed particular concern over institutions running multiple law programmes through morning-evening shifts, weekend classes, compressed schedules or overlapping arrangements to compensate for inadequate infrastructure or faculty.

Referring to the Rules of Legal Education, the Council reiterated that a regular law course must involve at least five hours of continuous study every day and a minimum of thirty working hours every week. It has directed universities to immediately stop any arrangement that substitutes regular classroom teaching with weekend or evening instruction or facilitates proxy attendance.

The communication also imposes strict conditions on admissions. Universities have been instructed not to include any Centre of Legal Education in counselling, admission or examination processes unless it possesses valid university affiliation as well as current approval of the Bar Council of India for the particular course, section and academic session. The BCI has further prohibited admissions merely because an application for affiliation or approval is pending and has cautioned against admitting students beyond the sanctioned intake or in unapproved courses, campuses or sections.

To ensure accountability, the BCI has directed every university to complete physical inspections of all affiliated and constituent law colleges within six weeks and submit a consolidated compliance report. The report must identify institutions that are fully compliant, those with curable deficiencies, those suffering from serious or fundamental deficiencies, institutions operating without valid BCI approval or university affiliation, colleges conducting impermissible shift or weekend programmes, and cases involving fabricated faculty records, false declarations, excess admissions, unauthorised courses or shifting of premises.

Universities have also been directed to appoint a senior nodal officer to coordinate the entire exercise. The BCI has warned universities against granting repeated or indefinite conditional affiliations to institutions that continue to suffer from fundamental deficiencies relating to land, infrastructure, faculty, libraries, classrooms, moot courts or statutory approvals. It has emphasised that conditional affiliation cannot become a mechanism for allowing non-compliance to continue from one academic year to another.

The communication further states that whenever material deficiencies are found, universities must issue detailed show-cause notices, provide institutions an opportunity to respond and pass reasoned orders. Cases involving suspension, withdrawal or refusal of affiliation are required to be immediately reported to the Bar Council of India along with complete inspection reports and consequential orders.

Issuing a stern warning, the BCI has said that failure by universities to conduct genuine physical inspections, granting affiliation to substandard institutions, permitting admissions without valid approval or submitting perfunctory inspection reports will be viewed seriously. It has stated that action may be initiated under the Advocates Act, 1961 and the Rules of Legal Education, 2008, including review or withholding of approval granted to concerned institutions.

The Council has also made it clear that recommendations for renewal of approval will not be accepted merely on the basis of existing affiliation letters or unverified self-declarations furnished by institutions.

Referring to the Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment, the BCI noted that the Court had upheld the mandatory nature of infrastructure and academic standards prescribed for law colleges and had held that universities cannot permit institutions to overcome infrastructural deficiencies by operating different law programmes through morning and afternoon shifts.

While the High Court protected students admitted pursuant to interim judicial orders in that particular case, it clarified that such protection was confined to those students and could not be treated as a precedent allowing non-compliant institutions to continue admissions.

The BCI has directed all universities to implement the latest circular in conjunction with the High Court judgment and ensure strict compliance across all Centres of Legal Education. (ANI)