‘Quality of education taking a hit, streamline law admissions in MMR’

Law students faculty members and the studentsrsquo union are raising concerns about the lack of uniformity in the admission process for LLM Master of Laws courses in Mumbai and the MMR claiming that it directly impacts the quality of legal education They demand the introduction of a foolproof method to streamline the system and ensure uniformityAccording to Dr Sharmila Guge an associate professor at Jitendra Chavan College of Law it is crucial to establish uniformity in the LLM course She points out that despite the common entrance test some private colleges admit students regardless of their CET scores and the fee structure varies from college to college Dr Guge emphasises the need for uniformity in admissions teaching examinations and other aspects of LLM education to maintain the quality of the courses offeredDr Sharmila Guge an associate professor at Jitendra Chavan College of Law right Siddharth Ingle President of Maharashtra Students UnionA law faculty member who preferred to remain anonymous supports the call for a fair and transparent admission process They state ldquoThe LLM admission process should be fair and transparent with a common process of admission that should be followed so that students can save money on college admission forms and avoid the hardship of visiting different private colleges seeking admissionrdquoThe faculty member further highlights the violation of Bar Council of India BCI norms by over half of the private law colleges affiliated with Mumbai University They state ldquoCharging exorbitant fees without adequate infrastructure is unfair to students and such law colleges are also lacking recognitionrdquoNeed for checksSiddharth Ingle founderpresident of Maharashtra Students Union echoes these concerns and emphasises the need for checks and balances on private law colleges by both Mumbai University and the Bar Council of India Ingle says ldquoThe irony is that the Department of Law within Mumbai University is the only affiliated centre for LLM which offers courses in various specialisations Though there are more than thirty private LLM colleges affiliated with Mumbai University they lack adequate infrastructure and faculties to impart legal education These private colleges are only minting moneyrdquo Ingle further points out the failure of Mumbai University to consider the Bar Council of India Legal Education Rule 2008 while granting affiliation to private law colleges He calls for inspections by both the universityrsquos Local Inspection Committee and the Bar Council of Indiarsquos Legal Inspection Committee to address wrongdoings and ensure compliance with guidelinesAdvocate Muneeb Khan and Advocate Mikhail DeyBCI rule 2008 violatedWhen asked to elaborate Ingle expressed ldquoThere are several instances where multiple law colleges operate from the same building alongside other nonlaw colleges and even schools The situation worsens in some law colleges in Navi Mumbai where they have resorted to using their terraces as classrooms for law classes The Bar Council of Indiarsquos 2008 rules clearly mandate that each law college should have an independent building However despite these violations these law colleges maintain their affiliation with Mumbai University and the Bar Council of India It is concerning that even though Mumbai University has an internal Local Inspection Committee and the Bar Council of India has a Legal Inspection Committee these bodies overlook such wrongdoings and continue to grant approvals and affiliations year after yearrdquoWay forwardIngle demands state ministry streamline the LLM admission process via CET cell increase intake to 1500 seats at Mumbai University and restrict private colleges from offering LLM courses Grant permission to 10 state universities for their own Department of Law easing pressure on students to opt for private institutionslsquoEducation not up to markrsquoAdvocate Muneeb Khan who recently completed his LLM expresses the need for entrance exams like MHCET to bring uniformity to the admission process Khan states ldquoDue to the lack of a process the quality of education is not up to the mark LLM exams must be taken in centres with controlled and proctored environments like MHCET conducts LLB entrance examsrdquo Advocate Mikhail Dey an LLM passout also criticises the practice of higher education institutions in India conducting their own entrance examinations He states ldquoLaw schools often have the authority to design their entrance exams but this approach is not superior to standardised examinations It is neither healthy nor conducive to the conceptualisation of the entrance examination nor is it the best way to assess studentsrdquoOther sideIn response to the concerns raised a senior official from Mumbai University acknowledges the need for improvement He said ldquoWe are already thinking on these lines and are looking forward to the state governmentrsquos sanction to fill up vacancies and hire additional faculties for almost all departments including Lawrdquo The official believes that it will be good if Common Entrance Test CET is conducted by State CET Cell for LLM admission He also stressed the importance of private law colleges addressing their shortcomings and providing quality legal education in accordance with BCI guidelines