The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, came down heavily upon the Delhi University for having ignored various shortcomings in infrastructure and faculty of the Faculty of Law. The Bench observed and scathingly told the counsel appearing for DU that it “seemed to treat CLC [Campus Law Centre] as different from the university” and had a negative “attitude”. It further went on to say “There is step-motherly treatment towards the Faculty which is obvious”.
The bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw were hearing a PIL against the Delhi University, filed by Tarun Narang, a student of the Law Faculty of DU, for various violations of the BCI Legal Education Rules and shortcomings in the infrastructure of the Law Faculty.
The Bar Council of India, which had earlier decided to de-recognise the law course carried out by the Delhi University, had submitted a report before the Delhi High Court, in January, which contained details about the lack of infrastructure and faculty. The Bar Council’s Inspection Panel had also recommended the shutting down of Faculty of Law in case of failure to remove these shortcomings. It was also further recommended that admissions for 2015-16 may be allowed only after the shortcomings were removed.
The High Court referred to the above report filed by the BCI and also took into consideration various news-reports regarding the recommendations of the Bar Council’s Inspection Panel to shut down the Faculty of Law.
The Bench angrily observed “Most of those in the court room, and many judges, have graduated from the Law Faculty. Can we allow the Law Faculty to be shut down?”
Mr. Siddharth Luthra, senior advocate, who was appearing for the petitioner pointed out before the court that the new building proposed by DU for the Faculty would not be as per the education standards since they were proposing to shift the Faculty from the present 3 acre campus to a 1.5 acre building and merge all three law centres into one and that the small building cannot accommodate 7,500 students.
The Court asked the University to comply with the BCI’s Legal Education norms and to file a detailed reply within a week in this regard.
The matter will now be heard by the bench that is already hearing a related matter filed by the former Dean of Faculty of Law, Mr. S.N. Singh, which is also a PIL in relation to the lack of proper facilities of CLC.
