August 14, 2025

Big news for law students and legal aspirants across India! The Bar Council of India (BCI), the big boss of legal education, has slapped a three-year moratorium on opening any new law colleges or law schools anywhere in the country. That means, for the next three years, no fresh law centres will get green signals without strict BCI approval. Srimanto Sen, principal secretary of the BCI, declared on Wednesday, “During the moratorium period, no new centre of legal education will be established or granted approval anywhere in India. Further, no existing centre of legal education may introduce any new section, course, or batch without the prior written and express approval of the BCI.” He added that any pending applications still waiting for approval will continue to be processed as usual. Why this tough move now? The BCI says it wants to stop the wild growth of poor-quality law institutes, which has made legal education shaky. They blamed “unchecked mushrooming of sub-standard institutions, routine issuance of NOCs by state govt and affiliations by universities without proper inspection,” and also pointed fingers at the commercialisation of legal education, frequent academic cheating, and not enough qualified teachers. India already has about 2,000 law colleges and centres running, so BCI feels this is enough. Now, it’s time to focus on improving quality, strengthening the system, and protecting students' interests while keeping the constitution in mind. This decision is backed by the Advocates Act, 1961, which empowers the BCI to maintain education standards and protect the legal profession's integrity and public interest. The move also takes a bow to earlier steps: a 2019 resolution that stopped new law schools temporarily and a 2020 Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment that pushed for stricter rules. Sen said, “The present regulation answers the court’s guidance by enacting the measures through formal rules and reinforces the Council’s long-standing commitment to quality.” But there are some bright spots! The ban doesn’t touch proposals meant only for socially and educationally backward groups, SC/STs, and economically weaker sections. Also, it excludes plans in remote, tribal, or specially notified districts and courses for persons with disabilities. These exceptions must still follow strict rules like having valid NOCs, university affiliations, proper infrastructure, enough qualified teachers, and real need for such centres. So, Indian law students, gear up! While no new law colleges will pop up for a while, the hope is that those already here will grow stronger, better, and brighter.

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Tags: Bar council of india, Law colleges, Legal education, Moratorium, Quality standards, New law schools,