While the Faculty of law of Delhi University claims to have been bombarded last minute with the Bar Council of India’s decision to derecognise their courses, university personnel have stated that DU does not need to follow the rules laid out by the BCI or get five-yearly inspections done as the university is a fully-affiliated one. Dean of law Faculty Ashwani Kumar Bansal said that these rules are only meant for semi-affiliated institutes, which lack basic teaching and infrastructural facilities and not for DU’s Faculty of law, which is world-renowned.
Bansal stated that the Faculty of law has always been up to the standards expected from a law institute. “College is in full swing here. Students don’t miss classes and the teachers are fantastic. These rules laid out by the legal Education Committee of the BCI are meant to be for those institutes which don’t hold classes regularly, where teachers are subpar and infrastructure on its last legs,” he said.
The BCI had pointed out the Faculty of law admits more students than the limit prescribed by the BCI under clause 5A of Schedule III of the legal Education Rules - 2008. The letter added, “The Council also received complaints about lack of infrastructure, faculty and timings of centres.”
However, Bansal refuted all these claims and said that they employ 150 full-time teachers, associate professors and professors and about 20 guest teachers in compliance with NET qualifications. Bansal also wrote a letter back to the Bar Council of Delhi where he mentioned that the attendance record of all the three centres is steadfastly maintained. This year in fact Bansal wrote that the attendance bar was increased from minimum 65 per cent to 70 per cent.
“The BCI had prescribed 30 courses four years back. DU teaches 30 courses from 1968 when all other universities taught 18 courses. Now in 2014, DU teaches 34 courses in six semesters, including compulsory and optional courses. The law Faculty also has Moot Courts. We have always substantially complied with the BCI curriculum but now we are in full compliance. Whatever shortcomings were there, have been filled up,” explained Bansal.
However, irrespective of following the BCI curriculum, Bansal holds his ground that DU doesn’t need to get five-yearly inspections done. “We are a full-fledged university. The BCI’s right to demand an inspection from us is questionable and if we fight this, there are good chances we will win because we are not at fault. However, we just want what’s best for the students and especially the batch of 2013-14 that is suffering the most. My priority is to get this sorted before the entire issue about getting the inspection done comes up,” said Bansal.