Karnataka HC Directs BCI To Add Further Columns In Its List Of Approved Law Colleges/ Universities On Its Website
The Karnataka High Court directed the Bar Council of India to add columns in the list of approved law colleges/Universities on its website reflecting the date of application for extension of affiliation, date of payment, initial affiliation letter and approved intake of college.
The Court was hearing a Writ Petition under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India seeking directions to the Bar Council of India to update its approved list of CLEs (University/Law Colleges).
The bench of Justice Suraj Govindaraj observed, “…though the petitioner is stated to have made payment of the affiliation fees, the same is not reflected on the website. It would therefore be required for the Bar Council of India to add more columns in the said website to reflect the current status.”
Brief Facts-
The petitioner, B.M.S. College of Law is an educational institution offering law degrees for three years as well as 5 years. The institution claimed to have consistently renewed its affiliation with the Bar Council of India. Despite making payments for the extension of affiliation until 2027-2028, the Bar Council's website erroneously displayed the affiliation as only valid until 2017-18.
The Court noted that the Bar Council of India being the authority that grants affiliation as regards all colleges of law degree, the petitioner would be put to a disadvantage if the details of the current affiliation are not reflected on the website of the Bar Council as any student taking up admission in the law college may check the said details.
The Court directed the Bar Council of India to add the following columns:
i) the date on which an application for an extension of affiliation is made,
ii) the date on which the payment was made including the details thereof;
iii) the initial affiliation letter issued by the Bar Counsel to the particular college with the PDF copy uploaded,
iv) the approved intake of the college; and
v) such other and further details as the Bar Council may deem fit taking into account the changed circumstances as of today.
Finally, the Court allowed the Writ Petition.
Cause Title: B.M.S. College of Law v. Bar Council of India (Neutral Citation: 2024:KHC:16177)
Appearance:
Petitioner: Adv. Badri Vishal
Respondent: Adv. Shridhar Prabhu and Adv. Girish Kumar