The BCI claimed in a show cause notice dated mid-January, that its inspection of the university last year was not satisfactory.

A BCI official commented, on condition of anonymity: “The report was not favourable. It is with [the Delhi University]. We have sent them a notice asking to show cause.”

The BCI had in September 2014 disaffiliated the university’s three law schools – Law Centre I, Law Centre II and Campus Law Centre – and debarred those who graduated after 2011 from being enrolled as advocates.

The BCI said that it had taken the measure because the university had omitted to apply for periodic inspections by the BCI, which are compulsory under the legal regulator’s legal education rules.

Within a fortnight DU had applied and invited the BCI’s inspection team to its campus and took measures such as announcing a new campus, and the BCI temporarily allowed DU grads to enrol provisionally.

In a writ challenging the BCI’s move against DU, filed by DU Law Centre II professor Vijay Kumar Chaurasia, the BCI told the Delhi high court in December that it would submit DU’s inspection report by January.

Controversial evening classes?

“See they do not have those kind of powers which they are trying to exercise,” commented Ashwini Bansal, Delhi University Law Faculty dean, questioning whether the BCI was allowed to set class timings for students.

Many students of Law Centre I (LC-I), for instance, attend evening classes in available classrooms, which the BCI has now forbidden, said Bansal. “Is there a bar that a person cannot study after 7pm in the evening?”

BCI vice chairman SL Gowda had told Legally India in December: “After notice also they are not making correct the things that are running in the Delhi university. Sometimes they are running the evening schools also. No such things [are happening] in all over the country. We have not permitted evening schools. Attendance is a must by BCI requirements.

“Evening colleges have retired people [taking admission in them]. Such things are not permitted by the BCI. They have no classrooms according to strength of students. Faculty is not there. No proper infrastructure.”

DU dean: BCI has ‘very small powers’ under Advocates Act

However, Bansal alleged that the BCI’s report “personally involved [and was written] against certain individuals of the faculty of law. They [the BCI] want to favour some of the individuals and want to disfavour or put various kinds of allegations against some officers. Those people who come and inspect they are themselves notorious people. They have their vested interests […]

“Kindly do check whether they have this power to inspect the faculties of law. Do they have those kind of powers which they are trying to exercise?”

“Were legal education rules made according to the law? The legal education rules, the legal education committee, they are all beyond the [Advocates] Act,” said Bansal. “Section 7 of the Act gives [the BCI] very small powers. Under the Act they are trying to bulldoze various law faculties, they want to throw away their weight around good universities.

‘Silly’ report

Bansal said: “There are 1,200 law colleges which they [the BCI] do not inspect. No single class happens at those law colleges. So many things are there in relation to faculties of law and in relation to law education.”

According to Bansal, the BCI’s report was riddled with errors. “Do ask them to whom they have given the notice. The letters were addressed to, in a silly manner, to various, different kinds of persons,” he claimed. “They say ‘vice chancellor, CLC’. Now there is no such person. Then they say registrar Law Centre- I.

“So, BCI after taking so much of payment from the institutions when they write their report they write in a silly manner. Now it is not for us to join these issues on these small idiotic things.”

He added: “The Delhi University has never bowed down to the BCI and I think it will continue to be like that. Why should we look at these jokers who do not know how to report?”

BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra did not respond to an email seeking comment.