On 25 June 2025, the Bar Council of India (BCI) through its Standing Committee on Legal Education wrote a formal letter to the Registrar Generals of all High Courts and the Supreme Court of India. The letter highlights the growing concern over the increasing trend of universities offering LLM (Master of Laws) programmes through online, distance, blended or hybrid modes without obtaining prior approval from the BCI. The Council emphasised that such practices violate the existing legal and regulatory framework governing legal education in India.
Use of Misleading Titles and Lack of BCI Approval
The BCI noted that several institutions, including some otherwise well-known universities, are offering postgraduate legal programmes under misleading titles like “LL.M. (Professional)”, “Executive LL.M.”, or “M.Sc. in Cyber Law”. These are being offered in online or hybrid formats and advertised widely through brochures and digital platforms. Without the mandatory statutory approval from the BCI, these are unauthorised under Indian law.
BCI’s Legal Mandate to Regulate Legal Education
The BCI reiterated that it is the sole statutory authority responsible for regulating legal education in India, including postgraduate (LL.M.) programmes. No legal framework exists that separates regulation of LL.B. and LL.M. between the BCI and UGC. The regulatory mandate of the BCI extends across all levels of legal education, as per the Advocates Act, 1961 and the Legal Education Rules.
Supreme Court Judgments Reinforce BCI’s Role
The Supreme Court has, in multiple judgments, supported the BCI’s regulatory power. In Vinit Garg v. University Grants Commission and Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation Ltd. v. Ravi Shankar Patro, the Court clearly held that no programme in any professional field, including law, can be offered through distance or online mode without the prior approval of the concerned statutory regulator.
Concerns Over Quality and Misuse of LL.M. Nomenclature
The BCI strongly objected to the continued offering of LL.M. programmes through non-traditional formats, which lack classroom teaching, real-time faculty interaction, and academic immersion. Such courses compromise legal reasoning and analytical skill development. The term “LL.M.” is being misused to legitimise diploma-style courses that do not meet BCI standards. According to BCI, even full-time one-year LL.M. degrees have been questioned in courts, making diluted part-time or blended offerings entirely unacceptable.
Regulatory Provisions and Prior Warnings
The BCI reminded that its Legal Education (Post-Graduate, Doctoral, Executive, Vocational, Clinical and Other Continuing Education) Rules, 2020 strictly prohibit LL.M. programmes in online, distance, or hybrid formats. The UGC’s ODL Regulations 2020 also require prior approval of professional regulators. The UGC’s public notice dated 19th September 2023 made it clear that law is excluded from permitted online or distance education courses.
BCI’s Repeated Communications and No Stay on Rules
Despite legal challenges, including W.P. (Civil) No. 70 of 2021 (Tamanna Chandan v. BCI), no stay has been granted on BCI’s 2020 Rules. The BCI also issued letters to UGC in February and October 2023, reaffirming its exclusive authority over legal education and objecting to any attempt to allow LL.M. programmes through online or ODL mode under the National Education Policy.
Programmes Without Academic Rigor Declared Invalid
The BCI warned that weekend LL.M. courses or those that do not require leave from professional employment fail to meet the minimum academic rigour and engagement standards. Such programmes, even when called “blended” or “executive”, are often online in practice and cannot be recognised as valid legal education.
Executive and Professional LL.M. Degrees Questioned
The use of titles like “LL.M. (Professional)” or “Executive LL.M.” is seen as a way to bypass statutory rules. The BCI stated that LL.M. is a statutorily recognised qualification and cannot be mimicked or modified through creative branding. Any institution allowing non-law graduates into such programmes is violating the Legal Education Rules, 2008 and 2020.
Impact on Employment, Teaching, and Research
The BCI raised serious concerns that students with such unrecognised qualifications are applying for UGC-NET, Ph.D. in Law, and faculty positions. It clarified that such degrees are not valid for academic or professional purposes. Using the LL.M. abbreviation for diploma courses is misleading, and institutions doing so may be held accountable.
Action Taken Against Non-Compliant Institutions
Show-cause notices have been issued to several institutions, including National Law Institute University, Bhopal; IIT Kharagpur; O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat; and NLU Delhi. These institutions attempted to justify their courses by claiming they are executive or not equivalent to traditional LL.M., but continued using the “LL.M.” title prominently.
Degrees Declared Null and Void
The BCI categorically stated that any LL.M. or similar programme offered without its prior approval in online, distance, or hybrid mode is unauthorised. Such qualifications will be considered null and void and cannot be used for employment, academic appointments, or judicial service promotions.
Courts and Universities Urged to Ensure Compliance
The BCI requested all High Courts to ensure no appointments or promotions are made based on such unrecognised qualifications. Candidates must furnish proof of BCI approval for any LL.M. degree used for academic or professional purposes.
National Advisory and Further Legal Action
To protect students and maintain transparency, the BCI is preparing a national advisory against enrolment in these unapproved courses. It will also continue to take legal action, including filing contempt petitions where necessary, to enforce compliance with statutory and judicial mandates.
Earlier Circular Also Reaffirmed BCI’s Position
The BCI reminded authorities about its earlier circular dated 10th February 2025 (Ref: BCI/D851/2025), which had clearly stated that LL.M. programmes cannot be offered in online, distance, hybrid, or correspondence formats without prior approval from BCI.
Call for Judicial and Institutional Support
The Bar Council concluded by seeking cooperation from the judiciary and legal institutions to uphold the quality, integrity, and statutory sanctity of legal education in India. Misleading LL.M. titles and unauthorised programmes risk undermining the nation’s legal academic foundation and must be stopped to protect students and the system at large.
Reference: https://www.barcouncilofindia.org/info/notice-on–npdesj