The plight of the not-so-‘national’ National Law Universities

Though National Law Universities exhibit a 'national' character, they are essentially state universities. There is a need to reconsider the current model of rapidly opening up new NLUs for providing quality legal education.

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THE Chief Justice of India [CJI] N.V. Ramana, at the convocation ceremony of National Law University, Delhi, expressed his concerns about the concept of National Law Universities [NLUs]. He remarked – "Talking of National Law Universities, I thought it would be relevant to highlight something that I find a little troubling. The primary object behind the establishment of National Law Universities in the country was to improve the quality of legal education in the country to produce better trained legal professionals…"

The CJI raised a critical point for introspection. A discourse on NLUs must start by taking the fundamentals into account, including structuring, functioning, infrastructure, and facilities at these universities.

Of late, there seems to be some kind of race among state governments to establish NLUs. For instance, Tripura is all set to open its first NLU. At the same time, Uttar Pradesh has announced a second NLU in Prayagraj. Maharashtra has three in Mumbai, Nagpur, and Aurangabad. Moreover, Madhya Pradesh counts for two NLUs in Bhopal and Jabalpur.