Mumbai University's Law dept functioning without BCI approval

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The University of Mumbai Law Academy (UMLA) has come under the scanner after it was discovered that the department has been operating without proper approval from the Bar Council of India (BCI).

With its first-ever batch of students set to graduate by the end of this academic year, the revelation has led to major concern among students who are wondering if their degree will be considered valid without BCI approval. The issue came to light after an RTI query by the Maharashtra Students Law Association (MASLA) which revealed UMLA's pending recognition.

The department, which was established in 2015, already has around 200 students. Advocate Siddharth Ingle, president of MASLA, said, "The department charges a steep fee of R50,000 per year. However, if they do not have BCI approval, the students passing out from the institution will have to face major consequences later. The university cannot be so casual about this."

According to sources, earlier, during the first semester of the current academic year, BCI had conducted an inspection in UMLA and imposed a fine of R8 lakh for functioning without approval since its inception.

However, it was revealed that UMLA had been granted conditional approval by BCI just for the year 2019-20.

When contacted, Mumbai University Registrar Ajay Deshmukh was unavailable for comment. However, a senior official from the administration said, "The University is expecting BCI approval for the UMLA as soon as the due procedure is complete. And there is no need for the students to be stressed as the BCI has already given conditional approval."

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