'Students Greatly Prejudiced': Kerala High Court Orally Remarks While Considering GLC Kozhikode BCI Affiliation Issue

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (January 20) orally remarked that the students of the Government Law College, Kozhikode are greatly prejudiced with the institute's BCI affiliation issue not yet being resolved.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas was considering a plea preferred by an Idukki-based advocate, who has prayed for a retrospective recognition from the BCI to the 5-year-integrated course offered by the college.

The plea was preferred after the petitioner came to know that his law degree from GLC Kozhikode was deemed “unqualified” by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) in Canada when he decided to pursue higher education and legal opportunities there.

When the matter came up for consideration, the standing counsel for the Bar Council of India submitted that the college is yet to pay a small portion of payment due to the BCI and that a compliance report is also to be obtained thereafter for regularising the batches.

During the last hearing, the BCI had told the Court that its Legal Education Committee will convene a meeting in 10 days to decide whether the compliance report submitted by the college can be accepted for its affiliation.

In a report filed by the BCI, it is stated that the Committee had decided that it would regularise the batches from 2011-12 to 2024-25 subject to the payment of fees and satisfies certain conditions.

Advocate Azad Sunil appearing for the petitioner also brought to the notice of the Court that as per a statement filed by the Principal of the GLC Kozhikode, many other law colleges are also similarly placed with no recognition from the BCI.

The Court then asked whether the college or the government is liable to pay this amount and in reply, it was told that it is the higher education department of the government.

"Why should the students be subject to prejudice...Please clear the liabilities. The students are being subjected to great prejudice. Call yourself a government law college. Why is such a huge amount payable to the Bar Council?," the Court orally asked.

The Court, therefore, asked the government pleader to get immediate instructions as to the reason for non-payment of the dues owed to the BCI. It also directed the BCI to file a statement.

The case is posted next on February 3.

Case No: WP(C) 39952/ 2025

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