The Bar Council of India has notified Bar Council of India Legal Education (Post Graduate, Doctoral, Executive, Vocational, Clinical and other Continuing Education) Rules, 2020, which seeks to abolish One year Master Degree in Law (LL.M.).
A Master Degree Program in Law of one year duration introduced in India in 2013(as per notification) by the University Grants Commission shall remain operative and valid until the Academic Session in which these Regulations are notified and implemented but not thereafter at any University throughout the country, the new rule states.
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The new rules, notified on 2nd January, provides that the post-graduate course in law leading to Master degree, in short, LL.M. has to be of two years duration spreading over four semesters. Further, LL.M. course is restricted to only graduates in law.
"Bar Council of India (either directly or through its Trust) may annually conduct a Post Graduate Common Entrance Test in Law (PGCETL) for admission in Master Degree course in Law in all Universities and until the PGCETL is introduced the present system followed by respective Universities shall be followed. Once the BCI introduces PGCETL it shall be mandatory to admit the students from the merit list of the Test." , the Rule reads.
The Rules also stipulate that Introducing and running a PGPL course (LL.M. Program) is the direct responsibility of a University and cannot be sourced out to any affiliating institutions. Following are other stipulations:
- No University shall admit and award any Master's degree in law (LL.M.) to any subject or area or discipline or (ii) an Integrated degree such as, BA.LL.B. or BBA.LL.B or B.Sc. LL.B. after studying at least a minimum period of five years.
- A Master degree in any specialized branch of Law offered in the Open System to any graduate, such as Business Law or Human Right, or International Trade Law without having LL.B./BA.LLB as the requisite entry level qualification shall not be designated as Master's Degree in Law (LL.M.) but can be designated in any other manner attracting the immediate attention of anyone that such a degree holder may not be a Law graduate. Master's degree in Businesses Law may be designated as (MBL); Master's in Governance and Public Policy as (MGPP), Master's in Human Rights as (MHR), Master's in Industrial Land Laws (MIL) etc., which cannot be considered equivalent to LL.M.
- LL.M. degree obtained from a Foreign University, which has been prosecuted without an equivalent LL.B. degree shall not be equivalent to Indian LL.M.degree.In order to qualify for test of equivalence of LL.M. degree obtained from any foreign University the Masters' Degree in Law course must have been taken only after obtaining the LL.B. degree from any foreign or Indian University which is equivalent to the recognized LL.B. degree in India.
- One year LL.M. obtained from any foreign University is not equivalent to Indian LL.M. degree. However one year LL.M. degree obtained after an equivalent LL.B. degree from any highly accredited Foreign University may entitle the person concerned to be appointed as a visiting professor in an Indian University for at least one year so as to consider such One year LL.M. degree with one year teaching experience as a Visiting Faculty/internee faculty/internee faculty/clinical faculty the Master degree obtained on one year term may be considered equivalent.
For Official Notice Click Here
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