Supreme Court probes Bar Council of India's authority over law college regulation

During a hearing in New Delhi, the Supreme Court examined whether the Bar Council of India possesses the power to control law colleges and universities, stressing that its regulatory authority only activates after a licence is issued. Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, raised doubts about the BCI's expertise in legal education, suggesting that academic scholars should set curricula and guidelines.

The court is reviewing petitions that question the functioning of the BCI-PEARL FIRST Trust, which has founded law colleges in Goa and Andhra Pradesh, and it has asked the BCI to reply within two weeks. Advocate Prashant Bhushan highlighted a 2016 resolution that created a new trust and noted that its deed names eleven permanent trustees regardless of their BCI membership. The bench also revisited the issue of BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra's extended tenure, which a separate plea claims violates Rule 12 that limits the chair's term to two years or until membership ends. The petition seeks an independent committee to oversee the matter and challenges a 2025 gazette extending Mishra's term to 2030.