HC for BCI, DU replies on PIL over lack of infrastructure at Law

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought responses of Bar Council of India(BCI) and Delhi University(DU) on a plea alleging inadequate infrastructure at its three law colleges.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Ashutosh Kumar issued notices to the two authorities, asking them to file affidavits indicating the covered-up/built area which will be available in the new building proposed by DU for Law Faculty.

The bench, while fixing the matter for hearing on March 25, also directed BCI and DU to respond to the contention of the plea, filed by Law Faculty student Tarun Narang, that the new building will not meet the required minimum area for Campus Law Centre and other Law Centres I and II under the Rules of Legal Education of BCI.

The court's direction came on Narang's PIL, filed through senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, contending there were insufficient chairs and tables for students at the Law Faculty of DU.

It had sought directions to the University to provide adequate room facility to the 7500 students staying in LC1 and LC2 and CLC with proper reasonable rates and food. It had also sought a direction to the University and BCI to initiate and take effective measures which are necessary for making compliance to the instructions.

Narang has, in his plea, sought a stay on a BCI letter, issued on September 22 last year, to Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), other state Bar Councils and to the DU's Vice Chancellor declaring that in the absence of extension of approval of affiliation of law centres here, the students admitted in sessions 2011-12 onward and passed out from the academic year 2013-14, are not eligible for enrolment.

The petition alleged BCD cannot revoke the approval of affiliation of the DU's three law centres without an "adverse report of inspection". "BCI has revoked the approval of affiliation only on the ground that the Law Centres, University of Delhi, did not comply with the order issued by it," the petition has said.

It said that such a direction, revoking the approval of affiliation of all Law Centres of University of Delhi, is without proper procedure of physical inspection as mentioned in the Inspection Manual 2010, which has been framed by BCI itself in 2010.