Law students in Gujarat have been awaiting admissions to the Bachelor of Legislative Law (LLB) in grant-in-aid colleges of the state over pending approvals from the Bar Council of India (BCI) and the state government’s lack of clarity with grant amount.

Hearing a writ petition over the stalled admissions, a bench led by Justice Pranav Trivedi took a serious note of the issue, and summoned the Advocate  General of the state.

Around 28 grant-in-aid colleges of Gujarat await grants from the government. The state government offers grants only to one class, considering 120 students per class. However, the BCI only allows 60 students per class. So, the colleges fail to get grants for the second class.

Since the BCI approvals are pending with many institutions, the students are awaiting their turn for admission.

The fees in granted colleges range from ₹1,000-₹1,500, whereas private colleges charge ₹1.5 lakh to 2 lakh per student. Yet, the granted colleges were fined ₹15 lakh to 20 lakh by the BCI.

Students have demanded that the state government approve the necessary teaching staff and infrastructure in accordance with BCI regulations for grant-in-aid colleges, and  not take any action against such colleges till all the facilities are provided.

Taking the serious note of the concerns and appeal of the students, the Gujarat High Court has asked the State Advocate General to be present in the next hearing. 

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