Bar Council of India Mandates Reforms: Criminal Checks, Attendance Compliance and More
BCI issues a directive for the immediate implementation of monitoring law students' backgrounds.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has introduced a series of mandatory reforms aimed at enhancing the integrity, compliance, and transparency of all legal education centers in India. These reforms are to be strictly implemented nationwide to maintain the highest standards of legal education and professional conduct.
The key measures announced include the following:
- Criminal Background Check System: Each center of legal education must implement a robust Criminal Background Check System to screen students before admission. This aims to identify individuals with a criminal history, maintaining ethical standards in the legal profession.
- Declaration Regarding Simultaneous Degrees and Regular Academic Programs: Law students are prohibited from pursuing more than one regular degree at a time, as per Chapter II, Rule 6 of the Rules of Legal Education (2008). They must declare non-enrollment in any other full-time academic program during their LL.B., with exceptions for short-term certificate or distance learning courses. Violators will not be issued a final marksheet or degree.
- Employment Status and Attendance Compliance: Students must declare their employment status and prove adherence to attendance norms under Rule 12. Employment during the LL.B. requires a No Objection Certificate (NOC), and violations must be reported to the BCI. Students without an NOC will be barred from enrolling in State Bar Councils.
- Biometric Attendance: All legal education centers must implement a biometric attendance system to verify students' attendance and prevent proxy attendance.
- Installation of CCTV Cameras: The BCI mandates the installation of CCTV cameras in law schools to monitor student activities, enhance security, and ensure institutional compliance. The Bar Council of India (BCI) has directed that recordings from CCTV cameras installed in legal education centers must be preserved for one year. This is to ensure that they are available for any necessary verification or investigation related to student attendance, behaviour, or compliance with institutional rules.
The Bar Council of India urges complete cooperation from all Centers of Legal Education (CLEs) and law students in adhering to these directives. This will help ensure that the legal profession continues to be represented by individuals with exemplary moral character and academic excellence, upholding the profession’s integrity.
For detailed information, visit the BCI notice.