Overview

• A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta gave the Bar Council of India four weeks to reply to a petition by advocate Jatin Sharma.
• The petition argues the blanket embargo is arbitrary and violates Articles 14, 19(1)(g) and 21, urging targeted, region-specific regulation instead.
• Under the moratorium, no new Centres of Legal Education can be approved and existing colleges cannot start new sections, courses or batches without prior BCI approval, while pending applications continue to be processed.
• The BCI says the step is meant to arrest declining standards caused by mushrooming substandard institutions, faculty shortages and commercialization, with annual reviews, intensified inspections and possible closures of non-compliant colleges.
• Limited exceptions and implementation actions are emerging, including consideration for National Law Universities proposed by states, approval for CNLU’s three-year LLB from 2025–26, and the reinstatement of 14 Gujarat colleges to admissions under stricter norms.