No New Law Colleges Till 2028: BCI Notifies Nationwide Moratorium

The Bar Council of India has imposed a three-year moratorium on opening new Centers of Legal Education (CLEs) and introducing new sections or courses in India. This means that for three years (until 2028), no new law colleges or CLEs can open in India. Apart from this, the current law colleges cannot start new sections or courses for three years.

Why the three-year Moratorium?

Over the past years, BCI has observed that the quality of legal education in India is degrading. This is because many law colleges and CLEs were being established without sufficient faculty and proper infrastructure. The State Governments and Universities were issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to open new colleges without any proper investigation. Many colleges have no proper buildings, infrastructure, or qualified teachers. BCI also noted that legal education was being commercialised and commodified.

The BCI had earlier imposed this decision on August 11, 2019, but it was challenged before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where the High Court Set aside the moratorium saying that it violated Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of Education Committee under Section 10(2)(b) of the Advocates Act, 1961.

Now the BCI has again imposed the three-year moratorium after carefully reviewing past decisions, court orders, and policy experiences. However, there are a few exemptions to this three-year moratorium. This decision will restore and boost the quality of legal education in India.

Refer to the Official Notification for more information