IIT Kharagpur Challenged on Issuance of Unauthorized LL.M. Degrees Due to Typographical Error: BCI
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has issued a clarification regarding a show cause notice that was initially sent to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indore, regarding its LL.M. in Cybersecurity and Cyber Law program. The confusion arose due to a typographical error in the letter, which mistakenly named IIT Kharagpur instead of IIT Indore.
Advocate Vinay Kumar Yadav, through a Right to Information (RTI) query, sought clarification on the matter. In the RTI response, the BCI confirmed that the show cause notice was indeed intended for IIT Indore, not IIT Kharagpur[1].
The BCI has been actively addressing concerns about unauthorized and misleading legal education programmes. The directive issued by the BCI is not related to the show cause notice issued to IIT Indore. The BCI's directive pertains to programmes that do not comply with the Bar Council's Legal Education Rules of 2008 and 2020.
It is essential to note that the issue with IIT Kharagpur was due to a typographical error, not a violation of the BCI's rules. The BCI's directive, on the other hand, is not due to a typographical error in a letter, unlike the show cause notice issued to IIT Indore.
Apart from IIT Indore, the institutions under scrutiny include National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal, OP Jindal Global University (JGU), Sonipat, and National Law University, Delhi (NLU Delhi). The BCI's statement mentions vague statements about the courses not being equivalent to the BCI-recognized LLM. degrees. The institutions often use the term "LL.M." in their promotional materials, but claim that the courses are not equivalent to BCI-recognized LLM. degrees[2].
This clarification brings much-needed clarity to the situation, ensuring that institutions do not mislead students about the recognition of their programmes by the Bar Council of India.
[1] The RTI response from the Bar Council of India (BCI) [2] The BCI's statement mentions vague statements about the courses not being equivalent to the BCI-recognized LLM. degrees.
- Online education platforms could consider offering an accredited legal education course, following the Bar Council of India's Legal Education Rules of 2008 and 2020, to provide a clearer path for self-development in the field of law.
- Educators and institutions, while promoting their education-and-self-development programs, should ensure transparency in highlighting whether the courses are equivalent to the Bar Council of India-recognized LLM (Master of Laws) degrees, as misleading students can lead to confusion in their online-education pursuits.
