The Bar Council of India (BCI) has issued a stern advisory against Online, Remote, Hybrid or Part-time LLM programmes that do not have its explicit approval. The move is aimed at protecting the standards of legal education and preventing deceptive practices by some universities.
"Any LLM or equivalent legal programme offered in online, remote, blended or hybrid mode or under misleading nomenclature such as LLM (Professional) or Msc (Law), without the prior approval of the BCI, is unauthorised and shall not be recognised for any purpose." - Justice Rajendra Menon, Chairman, BCI Legal Education Committee
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The BCI flagged the growing number of universities offering LLM programmes in formats such as LLM (Professional), Executive LLM or Msc Cyber Law - often advertised without approval from the statutory regulator. Many of these target working professionals and non-law graduates, circumventing the strict norms of the Advocates Act, 1961 and the BCI Legal Education Rules, 2008 and 2020.
"These practices mislead students, violate statutory mandates and undermine the credibility of legal education," the BCI said in its communication dated February 10, 2025 and reiterated on June 25, 2025.
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According to BCI, several prestigious institutes, including NLIU Bhopal, IITs Kharagpur, Jindal Global University and NLU Delhi, have been issued show-cause notices for running such unapproved LLM programmes. Some have already suspended these courses.
BCI stressed that only graduates with a valid LLB degree are eligible for LLM, and any course not approved by BCI - regardless of its format or nomenclature - will be considered invalid.
"No disclaimer or alternative nomenclature can justify using the LLM title. Misuse of this protected term is not only misleading but also violates academic integrity," the BCI letter addressed to all high courts mentioned.
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The Supreme Court judgments in Vinit Garg vs UGC (2018) and Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation vs Ravishankar Patro (2017) have held that any professional course, including LLM, must obtain approval from the relevant regulator before being offered through non-traditional methods.
"All High Courts are respectfully requested to take judicial cognizance of this situation and ensure that no appointment or academic recognition is based on unapproved LLM degrees." - Justice Rajendra Menon
The BCI has also warned students and government departments not to rely on such unapproved LLM degrees for NET, PhD, teaching or judicial promotions.
