(a) whether the Government is focussing on legal education including practice and theory, if so, the details thereof; and
(b) whether the law institutions are capable of fundamentally altering the legal landscape of the country in the decades to come, as the experiment of National Law Universities (NLU) has thrown up mixed results, if so, the details thereof and corrective steps being taken in this regard?
MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE
(SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)
(a) and (b) Bar Council of India (BCI) has informed that as per Legal Education Rules prescribed by the Bar Council of India, syllabus for LL.B three year course and LL.B five year course both honours and non-honours is given in Schedule II Rule 2 which is quoted hereunder :-
2. University’s responsibility: A University is free to design its academic program under LL.B. and LL.B. Honours course as well as program under the integrated degree program in Bachelor degree component as well as the LL.B. component with or / and without Honours course. However, LL.B. courses shall include the courses as stipulated under this schedule.
Apart from there being extensive theory as per the Schedule II, Rule 24, the practical aspect of legal education is taken care of by way of Schedule II, Rule 24 which is quoted hereunder :-
24. Moot court exercise and Internship:
This paper may have three components of 30 marks each and a viva for 10 marks.
(a) Moot Court (30 Marks)
(b) Observance of Trial in two cases, one Civil and one Criminal by last two or three year of LL.B student (30 marks)
(c) Interviewing techniques and Pre-trial preparations and Internship diary (30 marks)
(d) Viva Voce examination on all the above three aspects (10 marks)
Furthermore, as per Rule 11 there is a provision for having legal aid clinic in all the centres of legal education run under the supervision of senior faculty Member by the Final year students of the Institutions. The purpose of the legal aid clinic is to involve final year students and provide for opportunity to provide legal aid to people of the nearby vicinities.
It has further been informed by the BCI that the syllabus of legal education as prescribed by the Bar Council of India also leaves scope upon the University in Honours program to add a new group of subject specialization with such papers as may be stipulated from time to time by the University.