Karnataka High Court Issues Notice On Plea Alleging NLSIU's Academic Regulations Violate BCI Rules

The Karnataka High Court has issued notice to the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and Bar Council of India (BCI) on a plea filed by a student alleging that the varsity is not in compliance with the BCI's mandate requiring 60 hours of class per four-credit subject as it conducts only 51 hours of instruction.

Before the single judge bench of Justice Ashok S Kinagi, the student also challenges Regulation 8.1(A) of the Academic and Examination Regulations, 2022, which prescribes minimum attendance and minimum CGPA for promotion, alleging the same to be contrary to the BCI Rules of Legal Education, 2008.

The student also argues that University's revised class-timing scheme reducing each class-hour to 50 minutes is also ultra vires the Bar Council Regulations.

For context, the NLSIU Academic and Examination Regulations, 2022 talks about the requirements to be met by a student for getting promoted to the next academic year namely:

(a) The student has obtained a minimum CGPA of 3.00 at the end of the academic year; (b) Does not have an 'F' grade in more than 3 (three) courses; (c) Does not have an attendance shortage in more than 1 (one) course; (d) Does not have an 'F' grade or attendance shortage in any of the carried forward course.

The student argues that the aforesaid conditions like attendance regulations and the CGPA norms are being imposed unfairly and arbitrarily on various students, contrary to Article 14 of the Constitution.

The student also specifically assails the University awarding him 5.25 out of 20 in Intellectual Property Law project "without proper procedure".

After briefly hearing the petitioner, the High Court has issued notice to the respondents and adjourned the matter to next week.

Two more students have filed separate writ petitions, seeking relief against university's attendance shortage notices and the consequential denial of promotion to the next academic year.

Yesterday, in a batch of related petitions which have not challenged the academic regulations per se, the single judge bench had questioned the maintainability of the pleas and orally observed that students cannot expect to be promoted without meeting attendance requirements.

Case Title: ADITYA VAIBHAV ATRAM v. NLSIU & Ors.

Case No: WP 19611/2026