The Hindu : New Delhi News : Shortening of two-year LL.M course under study

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Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009
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Shortening of two-year LL.M course under study

Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI: The Union Human Resource Development Ministry is exploring the possibility of shortening the two-year LL.M course by half after the Round Table on Legal Education found it to be far too stretched.

A consensus to this effect emerged at a meeting of the Round Table on Tuesday with legal luminaries taking the view that the two-year programme served no purpose. In view of the dominant view, it was decided that all stake-holders be consulted before arriving at a final decision.

Research institution

Besides, the Round Table has decided to set up a national-level research institution through the ‘Professional-Public-Private-Partnership’ model over the next three years.

Initially suggested by the National Knowledge Commission, the proposal has not taken off yet because of reservations voiced by the Planning Commission.

The Round Table has decided to resurrect the proposal and work towards putting up a model research institution that will allow detailed study in emerging areas of legal jurisprudence and subjects which need research like environment law, patent law and competition law. Also, since India has no mechanism for impact analysis of judgments, this brief could well be handed over to the proposed institution.

Conscious of the reservations expressed by the Bar Council of India vis-À-vis the Round Table and its mandate, members explored ways to introduce legal education at the undergraduate level without affecting the LL.B programme. Also, there is a plan to draw up a year-long course for para-legals.

And a seven-member committee will be set up to identify challenges in legal education by the year 2020. This committee will include two legal luminaries from overseas.

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