Autonomous law schools in India
Encyclopedia
The term Autonomous law schools in India refers to the law schools founded in India pursuant to the second-generation reforms for legal education sought to be implemented by the Bar Council of India
. The first such autonomous law school was the National Law School
, Bangalore
which admitted its first batch in 1987. Since then a number of other national law schools have been established all over India and various other States are also considering options to establish such schools.
s like any other graduate degree. These Universities referred and taught the curriculum prescribed by the Bar Council of India but since they were under the overall control and supervision of the University Grants Commission
and therefore it was not possible for the Bar Council to effectively pursue reforms in legal education.
This system continued for more than two decades with the overall legal education supervision by the Bar Council, since its establishment in terms of the Advocates Act, 1961. However there were calls for reforms from all quarters of the country in general because of the falling standards of the bar
and there were mounting pressures over the Bar Council of India to bring forth change in the way in which legal education was imparted in India.
The first concrete decision to this end was taken in 1984 when various proposals to modernize legal education were considered and approved by the "Legal Education Committee" of the Bar Council, in an attempt to improve legal education throughout India
. One of the major proposals was the decision to establish specialized institutions to impart legal education in an integrated and diversified manner. The aim was to revitalize the legal profession by making law as an attractive profession and making it competitive to attract talent, which was hitherto diverted to other professional areas such as Medicine
, Engineering
, etc.
(popularly "NLS") which was established in Bangalore
in terms of the National Law School of India Act, 1986 passed by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Karnataka
. The first batch to NLS was admitted in 1988 and the establishing Director was Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon, who is considered as a jurist
in his own right (and who subsequently went on to be the founding Vice-Chancellor of the premier National University of Juridical Sciences, Calcutta
). While the first batch of NLS passed out in 1993, it was only until the starting of the next decade that legal education through the medium of national law schools got popular.
(CLAT). However, the National Law University, Delhi
, National Law University, Orissa
and the private law schools conduct their own admission tests.
Bar Council of India
The Bar Council of India is a statutory body that regulates and represents the Indian bar. It was created by Parliament under the Advocates Act, 1961. It prescribes standards of professional conduct and etiquette and exercises disciplinary jurisdiction...
. The first such autonomous law school was the National Law School
National Law School of India University
The National Law School of India University is the leading institution for undergraduate and graduate legal education in India. By popular estimates, the school consistently ranks as the most prestigious law school in India...
, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
which admitted its first batch in 1987. Since then a number of other national law schools have been established all over India and various other States are also considering options to establish such schools.
Historical setting
Traditionally legal education in India was conducted through the medium of non-specialized universities of India which granted law degreeLaw degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
s like any other graduate degree. These Universities referred and taught the curriculum prescribed by the Bar Council of India but since they were under the overall control and supervision of the University Grants Commission
University Grants Commission (India)
The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...
and therefore it was not possible for the Bar Council to effectively pursue reforms in legal education.
This system continued for more than two decades with the overall legal education supervision by the Bar Council, since its establishment in terms of the Advocates Act, 1961. However there were calls for reforms from all quarters of the country in general because of the falling standards of the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
and there were mounting pressures over the Bar Council of India to bring forth change in the way in which legal education was imparted in India.
The first concrete decision to this end was taken in 1984 when various proposals to modernize legal education were considered and approved by the "Legal Education Committee" of the Bar Council, in an attempt to improve legal education throughout India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. One of the major proposals was the decision to establish specialized institutions to impart legal education in an integrated and diversified manner. The aim was to revitalize the legal profession by making law as an attractive profession and making it competitive to attract talent, which was hitherto diverted to other professional areas such as Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, etc.
Structure of National Law Schools
Quite in contrast with the existing pattern of legal education in India, the proposed autonomous law schools varied in structural design and in various other respects. Some of these can be identified through the characteristics they carry, these being;- Autonomous status of the law schools: This implied that the law schools carried either a 'deemed university' or a 'university' status, which empowered them to grant their own degree and which was recognized by other institutions in terms of the University Grants CommissionUniversity Grants Commission (India)The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...
regulations. - Five year law programme: Earlier law degrees were granted only to those candidates who had already completed their graduation and after three years of formal legal education. However, the admission to these autonomous law schools were only to those candidates who had completed Grade 12.
- Integrated degrees: In these autonomous law schools, students studied for a law degree in integration with another degree of their choice. This allowed prospective advocates to have understanding of areas other than law. It also compensated for the lack of three years of formal education of other subjects that candidates in traditional three year law degree programme carried. Initially the choice of second degree was confined to B.A.Bachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(Bachelor of Arts). However later with time other choices were also being offered like B.Sc.Bachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
(Bachelor of Science), B.B.A. (Bachelor of Business Administration), B.Com.Bachelor of CommerceA Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
(Bachelor of Commerce), etc. - Intensive legal education: These law schools were given autonomy to devise the imparting of the curriculum in a manner which would best suit the candidate's ability to understand legal concepts and ability to appreciate various issues involved in legal setting and instill in them the merit and reasoning standards required for a high professional conducts. Also a standout features of these institutions is that these are single subject universities where the main thrust of education is on law with other complementary social sciences.
- National status of law schools: Each of these law schools were to be established under a specific legislationLegislationLegislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
, to be passed by the State legislature of the State desirous of establishing a law school. In terms of these legislation, these law schools were required to establish and practice excellent and high standards, at par with other national level institutions imparting education in other wakes of social life. The conferment of national status also make admittance to these law schools at a prestigious choice and thus inviting meritorious students to get inclined to join legal profession. - Involvement of legal luminaries: To improve standards of legal education and ensure education imparted in these institutions met desired standards, the Bar Council of India involved various prestigious and talented individuals with these law schools. The most notable of these was the involvement of highly placed constitutional functionaries, such as the Chief Justice of IndiaChief Justice of IndiaThe Chief Justice of India is the highest-ranking judge in the Supreme Court of India, and thus holds the highest judicial position in India. As well as presiding in the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice also head its administrative functions....
or the Chief Justice of various High CourtsHigh Courts of IndiaIndia's unitary judicial system is made up of the Supreme Court of India at the national level, for the entire country and the 21 High Courts at the State level. These courts have jurisdiction over a state, a union territory or a group of states and union territories...
as the "Visitors" and often "Chancellors" of these law schools, which implied a constant involvement and supervision of elite figures of legal profession in India with these law schools.
First Law School
The first autonomous law school established to implement the reforms in legal education in India was the National Law School of India UniversityNational Law School of India University
The National Law School of India University is the leading institution for undergraduate and graduate legal education in India. By popular estimates, the school consistently ranks as the most prestigious law school in India...
(popularly "NLS") which was established in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
in terms of the National Law School of India Act, 1986 passed by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. The first batch to NLS was admitted in 1988 and the establishing Director was Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon, who is considered as a jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
in his own right (and who subsequently went on to be the founding Vice-Chancellor of the premier National University of Juridical Sciences, Calcutta
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, abbreviated to WBNUJS or NUJS is an autonomous law university offering courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is situated in Salt Lake City of Kolkata, West Bengal, India...
). While the first batch of NLS passed out in 1993, it was only until the starting of the next decade that legal education through the medium of national law schools got popular.
Other Law Schools
Following the NLS model, various other States also passed legislation in their respective State Legislative Assemblies to establish national law schools. While these essentially differ from NLS in terms of modalities etc., the structure and model of imparting legal education in these later law schools has remained the same. In the order of their date of establishment, these law schools are;National Law Schools
- NALSAR University of LawNalsar University of LawThe Nalsar University of Law, or officially the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research , is a legal studies institution located in Shamirpet, Hyderabad, India. It was established in 1998 as a state university in an Act of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly...
, Hyderabad (estd. 1998) - National Law Institute University, Bhopal (estd. 1998)
- The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, KolkataKolkataKolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(estd. 1999) - National Law University, JodhpurNational Law University, JodhpurNational Law University, Jodhpur is an autonomous law university in India. The Institute offers under-graduate and post-graduate courses in various streams of law.The degrees offered at the under-graduate level are;* B.B.A,LL.B. * B.A.,LL.B....
, JodhpurJodhpurJodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
(estd. 1999) - Gujarat National Law UniversityGujarat National Law UniversityGujarat National Law University is a statutory university established by the Government of Gujarat under the Gujarat National University Act, 2003. This University is based in the city of Gandhinagar, which is the capital of Gujarat and is located 30 kilometers north to the metropolitan city of...
, Gandhinagar (estd. 2003) - Hidayatullah National Law UniversityHidayatullah National Law UniversityHidayatullah National Law University is a university in New Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India, named after former Chief Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah. It is one of the esteemed national law schools established in India...
, Raipur (estd. 2003) - National University of Advanced Legal StudiesNational University of Advanced Legal StudiesNational University of Advanced Legal Studies is a university located at Kochi, India for under-graduate, graduate and post-graduate legal education....
, Kochi (estd. 2005) - Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, LucknowLucknowLucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
(estd. 2005) - Rajiv Gandhi National University of LawRajiv Gandhi National University of LawRajiv Gandhi National University of Law , is a National Law University located in Patiala, Punjab, India. It was established in 2006 by the Punjab Government as a public university dedicated to the field of Legal Education...
, Patiala (estd. 2006) - Chanakya National Law UniversityChanakya National Law UniversityThe Bihar Government has established Chanakya National Law University to provide quality legal education along the lines of the established National Law Schools, such as NLSIU Bangalore, NUJS Kolkata, NALSAR Hyderabad, ....
, PatnaPatnaPaṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
(estd. 2006) - National Law University, DelhiNational Law University, DelhiNational Law University, Delhi , abbreviated to NLUD is a specialised law university offering courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is situated in Sector- 14, Dwarka, New Delhi, India...
, New DelhiNew DelhiNew Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
(estd. 2008) - National Law University, OrissaNational Law University, OrissaNational Law University, Orissa is the newest addition to the list of the National Law Universities in India. It is located at Cuttack, Orissa. The university offers courses for undergraduate and graduate legal education...
, CuttackCuttackCuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...
(estd. 2009) - National University of Study and Research in LawNational University of Study and Research in LawNational University of Study and Research in Law , Ranchi was established in year 2010 by Government of Jharkhand as the fourteenth national law university of India....
, RanchiRanchi-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
(estd. 2010) - National Law School & Judicial Academy, Assam, GuwahatiGuwahatiGuwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
(estd. 2011)
Admissions
As of 2009, admission to LLB and LLM in most of the autonomous law schools in India is based on performance in Common Law Admission TestCommon Law Admission Test
Common Law Admission Test is a centralised test for admission to prominent National Law Universities in India. The test is taken after the 12th grade for admission to graduation courses in Law. This exam was conducted for the first time on 11 May 2008. A total number of 1037 seats from seven law...
(CLAT). However, the National Law University, Delhi
National Law University, Delhi
National Law University, Delhi , abbreviated to NLUD is a specialised law university offering courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is situated in Sector- 14, Dwarka, New Delhi, India...
, National Law University, Orissa
National Law University, Orissa
National Law University, Orissa is the newest addition to the list of the National Law Universities in India. It is located at Cuttack, Orissa. The university offers courses for undergraduate and graduate legal education...
and the private law schools conduct their own admission tests.