The Bar Council of India (BCI), the country’s highest authority overseeing legal education, has taken a decisive step toward stricter student oversight. In a move aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability, the BCI has mandated immediate implementation of biometric attendance and criminal background checks for all law students across the nation. This directive, communicated via a letter to university vice-chancellors, deans, faculty, and students, also requires legal education institutions (CLEs) to verify student employment status during their studies and install CCTV cameras on campus premises.
The BCI’s decision stems from concerns raised by judicial authorities regarding the need to monitor student antecedents and backgrounds. The regulator emphasizes that these measures are crucial for ensuring transparency, accountability, and upholding ethical standards within the legal profession. The BCI’s notification outlines specific requirements:
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Biometric Attendance Systems:
All CLEs are required to install biometric attendance systems to ensure accurate monitoring of student attendance. This will eliminate any ambiguity or manipulation of attendance records.*
CCTV Surveillance:
CCTV cameras must be installed in classrooms and other key areas of the institution. Recordings from these cameras must be retained for a year to facilitate verification and investigation into any attendance discrepancies or student conduct issues.*
Criminal Background Disclosure:
All law students must disclose any existing FIRs, criminal cases, convictions, or acquittals before receiving their final mark sheets and degrees. Failure to disclose this information will result in severe disciplinary action, including withholding of academic credentials.*
Employment Restrictions:
Students are prohibited from pursuing any regular academic programs while studying for their LL.B. degree, with the exception of short-term, part-time certificate courses in specific areas like language, computer applications, or distance learning programs authorized under existing regulations. Furthermore, students are not permitted to engage in any job, service, or vocation during their LL.B. studies unless they obtain a valid no-objection certificate.The BCI has empowered CLEs to alert the regulator if they identify any student with unsatisfactory attendance, a criminal background, or violations of these new regulations. The student’s final mark sheet will be withheld pending a decision from the BCI. Failure by CLEs to comply with these directives will result in penalties.
These measures come amidst a backdrop of controversy surrounding the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) in Patiala, where students protested the actions of the university’s vice-chancellor. Media reports allege that the vice-chancellor entered the women’s hostel and made inappropriate comments about students’ attire. Following student protests demanding the vice-chancellor’s resignation, RGNUL was temporarily shut down on September 23rd. The institute’s authorities formed a committee to address student grievances and invited students for a discussion. However, the college was closed after no students attended the meeting, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The vice-chancellor has denied the allegations, claiming he entered the women’s hostel to identify students engaging in smoking and drinking after midnight, based on complaints he received. This incident highlights the sensitivity surrounding student well-being and conduct within educational institutions and underscores the need for robust regulations to address such concerns. The BCI’s new directives are a significant step toward establishing greater transparency and accountability in legal education, ensuring that future lawyers are equipped with not only academic knowledge but also ethical conduct and integrity.
