PIL Files in SC for 3-Year LLB Course after Class 12

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directives to the Centre and the Bar Council of India (BCI) to establish an expert committee to explore the feasibility of implementing a three-year LLB course, as opposed to the current five-year program, following class 12.

Currently, students are eligible for admission to a five-year integrated law course post class 12 through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), administered by the prestigious National Law Universities (NLUs). Alternatively, students can pursue a three-year LLB course after obtaining a degree in any discipline.

The petitioner

The petition, filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, requests “directions to the Centre and Bar Council of India to form an expert committee to ascertain the feasibility of commencing a three-year Bachelor of Law course after the 12th standard, akin to Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), and Bachelor of Arts (BA) courses.”

It contends that the “extended duration” of five years for the integrated course is “arbitrary and irrational” as it is “disproportionate” to the subject and imposes an “excessive financial burden” on students.

“There are numerous instances of prodigies not being hindered by a rigid system that emphasizes breadth over depth,” the petition asserts, citing the case of former law minister Ram Jethmalani, who established his law firm at the age of 17.

“Was there a five-year LLB course to impede his progress and obscure his vision? There was none. The distinguished jurist and former attorney general, the late Fali Nariman, completed his law studies at the age of 21 years,” the petition notes.

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