Law Schools and Colleges
Law Schools and Colleges
The total number of CLEs (Centers of Legal Education) approved by Bar Council of India (BCI) in the country during the last ten years is attached as Annexure-A.
The BCI has informed that vide circular dated 18.12.2023, it has started to take applications from the existing and new CLEs/institutions for its registration through an online portal namely, https://www.barcouncilofindia.org/user/login. It has also been notified that all pending hard copy application stands infructuous and the applicant CLEs has to apply afresh through designated portal. The BCI has further informed that total 436 fresh applications were received in the year 2023-2024, on the portal for registration and at present there is no pending application with BCI for such registration.
As per section 7(1)(h) of the Advocates Acts 1961, the BCI is mandated to promote legal education and to lay down standards of such education. The BCI has informed that it has taken steps to ensure that menace of growing CLE’s across nation can be curbed. In 2015, BCI vide resolution dated 06.06.2015 requested the State Governments and Universities to restrict the issuance of No Objection Certificate (NoC) and affiliations to the law colleges for the next three years. Despite the resolution, 300 CLEs got NoC and affiliations but the BCI refused to approve the affiliation granted. Later on, after the judicial intervention, the BCI had to restart the process of approving affiliation granted to these CLEs. A fresh moratorium for a period of three years on opening of new CLEs and even new sections was imposed by BCI through resolution dated 11.08.2019 but the same was also lifted up through Press Release dated 16.06.2021 after the Hon’ble Punjab & Haryana High Court set aside the BCI resolution imposing moratorium.
This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law & Justice, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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SB/DP/ARJ
Annexure-A.
Sr. No.
State
Count of State
1
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
01
2
Andhra Pradesh
05
3
Arunachal Pradesh
05
4
Assam
03
5
Bihar
10
6
Chandigarh
01
7
Chhattisgarh
11
8
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
01
9
Delhi
10
10
Gujarat
64
11
Haryana
30
12
Himachal Pradesh
08
13
Jammu & Kasmir
01
14
Jharkhand
15
15
Karnataka
32
16
Kerala
18
17
Madhya Pradesh
82
18
Maharashtra
78
19
Manipur
01
20
Meghalaya
02
21
Odisha
08
22
Puducherry
01
23
Punjab
29
24
Rajasthan
55
25
Sikkim
02
26
Tamil Nadu
23
27
Telangana
16
28
Tripura
01
29
Uttar Pradesh
319
30
Uttarakhand
14
31
West Bengal
22
Grand Total