BCI decree to ban 20/30+ year olds from studying law is back

Tuesday, 20 September 2016 By Prachi Shrivastava Law schools

Bad luck for those realising they want to become a lawyer only later in life...
Bad luck for those realising they want to become a lawyer only later in life...

LLB aspirants’ upper age limit of 20 years for entry to the five year LLB program and 30 years for the three year LLB is back as per the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) latest circular sent to law schools and now uploaded on its website, as first reported by Bar and Bench.

Clause 28 of Schedule III of the Legal Education Rules 2008, which was notified in March 2009, prescribes these age limits. But the BCI had withdrawn this rule in 2013. However, this withdrawal was later on challenged before the Madurai bench of the Madras high court which upheld the challenge. The BCI’s appeal against the Madras high court’s order was dismissed by the Supreme Court.

So in order to comply with orders of the court the BCI has now restored the age limit rule.

The Supreme Court decision upholding the Madras high court order that the BCI’s withdrawal of the age limit clause was not proper, came in December 2015, much after the Allahabad high court had held in May 2014 that there can be no age limit for attempting the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).

Bar Council of India (BCI)age limitLegal EducationLegal Education Rules 2008Supreme CourtAllahabad high courtMadras high court

Comments

Peter Jeyaprakash 24 Sept 2016, 11:43
+0 -0
It is strange to note that the present advocates are continuously attacking the legal system over the age limit. Striking off the age limit in the legal education system is good but it should not come with a qualification that it was not done without the compliance of this board or that board. If this happens then it is regrettable that there some other ill will is interested in the revival of the age limit. We have to see beyond this ill will and even if certain qualifying criteria was not followed then noting that exception the age limit should be done with by following the same exception that was overlooked. The question is not about the procedure but it should be about the purpose of doing away with the age limit.
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