GNDU's law graduates upset as course sans Bar Council approval
Amritsar, October 12
Questions have arisen over the recognition status of the GNDU’s LLB degree programme by the Bar Council of India (BCI) after a law graduate from the university reported that his degree failed assessment as per process, by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA), Canada. The applicant, Ekamjit Singh, pursued a degree in law from the regional campus of GNDU in Jalandhar in 2015 and had applied for immigration to Canada when he discovered through a letter by the NCA that his degree is not recognised by the Bar Council of India.
As per Ekamjit, GNDU’s law programme at the regional campus in Jalandhar has not been renewed since 2012, and since 2018, on its main campus in Amritsar. While the university authorities claim that they have all the required approvals, they also said that they have taken up the matter with the authorities concerned. Brushing aside the claims, GNDU registrar KS Kahlon said, “We have paid the renewal fee and technically have no issues regarding recognition. Application for renewal is sent every year and the delay is from the BCI side as they have not displayed our status on their official website. If there is any delay in displaying the recognition status, it from the BCI’s side. We have taken up the matter and are going to approach the BCI in this regard as well.” The head of the department of law has been directed to clear any confusion in this regard with immediate effect.
But sources from the university claim that the authorities should have taken up the matter sooner as it would directly affect the future of students who have recently passed out and are willing to migrate.
The issue has put several law students pursuing a degree programme at the university in a tight spot. “If there was an issue with the recognition status not being displayed on the BCI’s official website, shouldn’t the authorities concerned have checked immediately? There is a big number of students passing out from the regional as well as main campus of the GNDU as the law degree programme is among the most popular ones in the university., said a student currently pursuing LLB 3-year programme at the university.
