Panjab University syndicate meeting: Now, evening law course from 1pm

The Panjab University (PU) syndicate on Sunday decided to retain the evening law course, though it will now start in the afternoon to conform to the Bar Council of India (BCI) regulations on teaching hours. Senator Prof Navdeep Goyal said now there would be two shifts: one from 8am, and second from 1pm.

A number of service-class people, including bureaucrats, used to take admission in the three-year evening law course at PU.

The Bar Council of India, in its letter dated November 30, 2016, told PU that no permission was taken from it for running the evening law courses. The letter said: “Earlier the concept of law courses was to get basic knowledge of law and there was no restriction on running of courses as the students were getting degree and later practising law. Now, after the new Legal Education Rules, 2008, the restriction has been made keeping in mind upgrading the standard of legal education by fixing the hours of study each day and period during which (the course) can be run.”

“Now, under the new rule not only textual study is undertaken but students have to compulsorily participate regularly in moot court and legal aid cell and attend courts,” added the letter.

The evening shift used to run from 5:30 pm to 9:15pm (3 hours and 45 minutes), whereas the BCI wanted it to be 30 hours per week (6 hours per day, with a 30-minute break). In a meeting of the law faculty held on December 13, 2016, it was decided that the evening course could not work and from 2017-18 the classes would run in the morning shift only.

But now, the syndicate has ruled for two shifts. The BCI rules say the classes can run between 8am to 7pm on the premises that is not fully residential.