Supreme Court Tags PIL Seeking Review Of 5-Year Law Courses With Pending Plea

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the clubbing of a PIL seeking the formation of a legal education commission or an expert committee to review five-year law courses in the country, with a pending case.

The PIL, filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, calls for the establishment of a Legal Education Commission or an expert committee to reassess the curriculum and duration of both LL.B & LL.M courses in India.

Court Observation

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, while refraining from issuing a formal notice, agreed to hear the plea alongside the related matter.

The bench remarked, “You want us to direct the government to frame a policy. We will tag this. Not issue notice,” addressing senior advocate Vikas Singh, who represented the petitioner.

The petitioner argues that the current five-year law courses impose an unreasonable financial burden on students and were structured under the influence of private college managements aiming for profit. He contends that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 advocates for four-year undergraduate programs across professional and academic fields, yet the Bar Council of India has not revised the law curriculum accordingly.

Case Background

This development follows a previous petition by the same petitioner in April 2024, which sought to replace the five-year LL.B course with a three-year program post-Class 12. The Supreme Court had dismissed that plea, with then Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud emphasizing the importance of maturity in the legal profession and noting the benefits of the existing five-year course.

The current PIL will now be considered in conjunction with the pending case concerning the one-year LL.M program, as the Court continues to evaluate the structure and duration of legal education in the country.