In a sweeping regulatory move to curb the proliferation of sub-standard law colleges across India, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) announced a three-year nationwide moratorium on the establishment of new centres of legal education.

During the moratorium period, no new centre will be established or granted approval anywhere in India, the regulatory body said. It further said no existing centre will introduce any new section, course, or batch without the prior written and express approval of the BCI.

The council said it took this step “to arrest the decline in quality across segments of legal education, evidenced by the unchecked mushrooming of sub-standard institutions, routine issuance of no objection certificates (NOCs) by State governments and affiliations by universities without proper inspection”.

It additionally said that this step was aimed at preventing ”the commercialisation of legal education, widespread academic malpractice, and persistent shortages of qualified faculty”.

‘Focus on quality enhancement’

With around 2000 centres of legal education already operating, the BCI said the country’s institutional capacity is adequate, and “the focus must shift to consolidation, quality enhancement, and systemic strengthening in the interest of the public and in furtherance of constitutional commitments”.

During the moratorium, existing centres will be subject to intensified inspections and compliance audits, the BCI said. “The BCI may order closure or derecognition where institutions fail to maintain prescribed standards and will discourage issuance of fresh NOCs or affiliations for new institutions or courses,” it added.

This is not the first time that the BCI has issued such a moratorium. In August 2019, the BCI imposed a moratorium on opening new law colleges for a period of three years. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in December 2020, struck down the moratorium.

“The present regulation [Rules of Legal Education, moratorium (three-year moratorium)] answers the court’s guidance by enacting the measures through formal rules and reinforces the council’s long-standing commitment to quality,” the BCI said.