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The Bar Council of India (BCI), the governing body for legal education in India, has implemented new regulations mandating biometric attendance systems and criminal background checks for all law students. These measures, announced in a directive issued on Tuesday, are aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in attendance and student conduct within legal education institutions. The BCI has emphasized the urgency of implementation, instructing all Centres of Legal Education (CLEs) to enforce these regulations immediately.
The new regulations require CLEs to verify student employment status while studying, install CCTV cameras throughout campus premises, and implement biometric systems for accurate attendance tracking. CCTV footage must be preserved for a year to facilitate investigations related to student behavior and attendance. Furthermore, law students are obligated to disclose any pending FIRs, criminal cases, convictions, or acquittals before receiving their final mark sheets or degrees. Failure to declare such information will result in disciplinary action, including the withholding of final academic results. Students must also certify that they have not been enrolled in any other full-time academic program during their LL.B. studies, except for short-term, part-time courses, and that they were not employed during their studies without a valid no objection certificate (NOC).
The BCI has outlined specific reporting requirements for CLEs. Institutions must inform the BCI if a student has unsatisfactory attendance, a criminal background, or violates any of the new regulations. Failure to comply with these requirements will lead to penalties, including the withholding of final mark sheets until the BCI makes a final decision. Institutions that fail to adhere to the new rules will also face consequences. Earlier this year, the BCI barred 11 law institutes from admitting new students due to non-compliance with its legal education standards.
These new measures come amid protests at the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) in Patiala, where students have demanded the resignation of the vice-chancellor following allegations of inappropriate behavior. The university was closed indefinitely on September 23 after student protests. RGNUL has formed a nine-member committee to address student concerns and has invited students for a discussion. However, the university remains closed after no students attended the meeting. The vice-chancellor has denied the allegations, claiming he entered the women's hostel to investigate reports of students smoking and drinking after midnight.
The BCI's move to mandate biometric attendance and criminal background checks highlights the growing emphasis on accountability and transparency within legal education. While these measures aim to address concerns about student conduct and attendance, they also raise concerns about privacy and the potential for misuse of personal data. It remains to be seen how these regulations will be implemented and how they will impact the student experience in legal education institutions across India.
Source: BCI mandates biometric attendance and background checks for law students