Sibal hints at reforms in legal education

Brushing aside criticism from the Bar Council of India (BCI) about the government's move to introduce reforms in legal education, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today said his ministry was determined to bring about radical changes in the field despite opposition from "vested interests".

Brushing aside criticism from the Bar Council of India (BCI) about the government's move to introduce reforms in legal education, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today said his ministry was determined to bring about radical changes in the field despite opposition from "vested interests".

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The minister said that though there were some "vested interests" keen on stalling reforms, the government was determined to go ahead with the revamp.

In an informal address to the members of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), he said the ministry was exploring the possibility of introducing law as a subject at the undergraduate level as in B.A courses to enable a large number of persons to gain legal knowledge.

"Instead of insisting on having a system like BA, LLB, why do we not have a BA Law. There can be doctor-lawyer, engineer-lawyer also," he said.

A student pursuing an undergraduate course in medicine or engineering can also gain legal knowledge if law was introduced as one of the subjects in their respective curriculums, he said.

Sibal claimed the BCI has not been able to bring in the necessary reforms as it was not equipped with adequate expertise and infrastructure.

"There are some vested interests who do not want the reforms, but I hope the members of the bar (advocate) here will support me in the stand," he remarked.