The Bar Council of India (BCI) has asked all universities offering law courses to inspect every affiliated and constituent law college within the next six weeks. The inspections will check whether colleges have proper infrastructure, enough qualified teachers, good teaching standards and valid BCI approval.

In a circular issued to Vice-Chancellors, Registrars and Heads of Law Departments, the BCI said universities cannot treat affiliation as a one-time process. They must regularly monitor law colleges. The Council also pointed out that courts have often criticised universities for granting affiliation without properly inspecting colleges.

The BCI said the decision follows the Supreme Court's observations in the K.R. Sudersan v. Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry case, where concerns were raised about the quality of legal education.

Universities have been told to form inspection teams and conduct physical visits to every law college instead of relying only on documents, photographs or online submissions.

During the inspections, teams must check classrooms, libraries, moot court halls, legal aid clinics, seminar rooms, internet facilities, sanitation, fire safety, accessibility and other facilities required under BCI rules.

The BCI has also directed universities to verify the qualifications of teachers, their appointment records, attendance, salary payments and whether colleges have the required number of full-time faculty members. It warned that colleges cannot simply bring teachers in for inspection day or rely only on paperwork.

The BCI has also ordered universities to stop weekend, evening, shift-based and other part-time law courses that do not meet the standards of regular legal education.

According to the BCI, a regular law course must have at least five hours of classes every day and 30 hours of teaching every week. Courses that mainly run on weekends or evenings, or allow proxy attendance, are not allowed. The Council also said students from such courses will not be permitted to practise law.

The entire inspection process, including submitting reports to the BCI, must be completed within six weeks. Universities have also been asked to appoint a nodal officer, acknowledge the circular within three working days and provide a list of all law colleges under their control.

If any college is found lacking in infrastructure, faculty or other mandatory requirements, universities have been directed to begin action to suspend or cancel its affiliation and inform the BCI. The Council also made it clear that university affiliation alone is not enough—every law course must also have valid BCI approval.