BCI to explore feasibility of law entrance examination including CLAT in regional languages

Bar Council of India (BCI) clearly envisaged that the medium of instruction can also be other regional languages as per the convenience of the universities, stated Union Minister for Law and Justice Mr. Kiren Rijiju in Rajya Sabha.

While replying to the question that whether the government proposes to conduct law entrance examinations in other regional languages including Hindi, Union Minister for Law and Justice Mr. Kiren Rijiju informed the Rajya Sabha through a written reply that under the Advocates Act 1961, the Bar Council of India (BCI) is the regulatory body for legal education in India and as per its rules for legal education it is "clearly envisaged that the medium of instruction can also be other regional languages as per the convenience of the universities."

The question also highlighted those entrance exams being conducted in English only creates linguistic discrimination and due to this many aspirants remain deprived of their fundamental right to get a law education.

The minister's reply acknowledged that there has been a demand to conduct the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) in regional languages. It stated that BCI will write to Universities to explore the feasibility of conducting law entrance examinations in regional languages apart from the English language.

The written reply by the minister says, "As far as the National Law Universities are concerned, there was a request made from certain quarters that Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) examination should also be conducted in such regional languages apart from English language. The Bar Council of India being the regulatory body for legal education shall definitely consider this aspect and shall issue an advisory to Universities in this regard."

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