Top law colleges missing from CAP round one, students worried

On Wednesday, students were required to indicate their college preferences for both the three-year and five-year law courses but they didn’t find the names of sought-after colleges on the list

MUMBAI: Aspiring law students received a rude shock on day one of the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) when they found some of the state’s top law colleges missing from the list of available institutes to choose from.

Top law colleges missing from CAP round one, students worried

On Wednesday, students were required to indicate their college preferences for both the three-year and five-year law courses but they didn’t find the names of sought-after colleges on the list, such as Government Law College, Pravin Gandhi Law College, Siddharth Law College, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar College of Law and New Law College.

Officials with the state higher and technical education department said these and other colleges have been excluded from the first round of admissions because they have not secured approval from the Bar Council of India (BCI). only colleges with both BCI approval and university affiliation were allowed to take part in the first round.

This has excluded as many as 125 colleges offering the three-year LLB course and 105 colleges offering the five-year integrated law course from the first round of admissions. As a result, only 93 colleges offering the three-year course and 56 colleges for the five-year course participated in the first CAP round (See box).

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had directed law colleges across India to meet certain standards and obtain the BCI’s approval. Some of the criteria are having a full-time principal, qualified teachers, moot court facilities, classrooms and other required infrastructure. The Bar Council verifies these facilities before granting approval.

A senior official with the higher education department said the Bar Council had given colleges an additional six weeks to complete the approval process. The government had even allowed the institutions to participate by submitting proof that they had applied for approval. However, many did not meet this requirement.

With many top colleges not making it to the list, students with high scores have been left high and dry. Sanjay Mahale, who scored 96 percentile in the Maharashtra Law CET, said he was shocked when Government Law College did not appear in the preference list. “Students are facing injustice because many top colleges are not available,” he said.

Officials from the CET Cell said colleges completing the approval process before the second CAP round may be added later. Students who secure a seat in the first round can keep that admission and still apply for a better college in the second round if more institutes receive approval.

This year, only three government-aided colleges have qualified for the first CAP round, a sharp drop from seven last year.

Officials said the government is firm on implementing the Supreme Court directions, with the Bar Council of India inspecting law colleges across the country and instructing universities not to grant affiliation to colleges that do not meet the required standards.

“We were surprised by the conditions in many law colleges. Even some government law colleges do not have approval for the three-year course,” a senior government official said. Sources said Government Law College has paid a penalty of more than ₹16 lakh and is waiting for Bar Council approval. The college has reportedly been without approval since 2024.