Kerala High Court Seeks BCI's Response On Kozhikode Govt Law College's 5-Year LLB Course Running Without Approval Since 2011

Justice V G Arun, has asked the standing counsel of the bar body to seek instructions in the matter.

The petition was filed by an advocate from Idukki, who discovered his law degree was deemed “unqualified” by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) in Canada when he sought to pursue higher education and legal opportunities in Canada.

The petitioner submits that the NCA rejected his application stating that his law degree is not a “Qualifying Law Degree” under NCA policies as the approval of Government Law College, Kozhikode, by the BCI expired with the intake of 2010.

The BCI's official list of approved Centres of Legal Education maintained in the official website confirms that the college's 5-year course approval ended in 2011, yet admissions continued through the government-run Kerala Law Entrance Examination (KLEE).

The petitioner submits that the Principal, Government Law College, Kozhikode and the Department of Higher Education has not gained any recognition from the BCI as mentioned in Part IV, Chapter II and Chapter III of the Bar Council of India Rules, after 2011.

The petitioner thus submitted that the Bar Council of Kerala has violated Section 24 of the Bar Council of India Act by making the students of such an institution to enroll into the State Roll of Advocates.

The petitioner further claims that the omission amounts to a violation of his fundamental rights under Article 19(1)(g) and Article 19(6) of the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom to practice a profession.

The Petitioner has sought a writ of mandamus directing the BCI, Bar Council of Kerala, University of Calicut, and the Department of Higher Education to grant retrospective recognition to the course from 2011 onwards and regularise the petitioner's degree as a qualifying law degree.

The matter is posted on November 21, for further consideration.

Case Title: Muhammed Anwar Saidu v Bar Council of India and Others

Case No: WP(C) 39952/ 2025

Counsel for Petitioner: S Rajeev, V Vinay, M S Aneer, Sarath K P, Anillkumar C R, K S Kiran Krishnan, Dipa V, Akash Cherian Thomas, Azad Sunil

Counsel for Respondent: Rajit (SC - BCI), P C Sasidharan (SC - Calicut University), M U Vijayalakshmi (SC - BCK)