By Sanjay Raman Sinha
As the National Education Policy 2020 gets implemented hopes are high for legal education as well. It is expected that with the overhaul of the education ecosystem, legal education will benefit as well. In the Bharat Shiksha Summit 2025, organized by APN News channel and Balaji Foundation, legal luminaries and thought-leaders deliberated on the prospects of legal education in the country.
Speaking at the Bharat Shiksha Summit 2025’s session on “Legal Education and Training: Bridging Theory and Practice”, Supreme Court judge Justice JK Maheshwari urged for improved practical legal training, suggesting moot courts focus on real-world Indian cases rather than corporate law scenarios. He emphasizes that artificial intelligence, being man-made, can’t replace natural intelligence. Ethical training is crucial in legal education, requiring a sound moral base that is built over time, not just taught.
Supreme Court judge Justice Rajesh Bindal advocated the revision of the legal education syllabus and to focus on practical law aspects. He highlighted the uneven quality of legal education, citing that out of five lakh law students, many are taught by insufficient and underqualified faculty. This compromise on education quality is reflected in the dismal 48-49 percent pass rate of law graduates in the Bar Council of India (BCI) exam. To address this, Justice Bindal emphasized the need for reform, promoting a more effective and practical approach to legal education.
Attorney General R Venkataramani stressed the need of ethical mooring to legal education and made an impassioned plea to students to imbibe noble values. He said : “In India, legal education has grown significantly, but its impact on justice and human development needs evaluation. Law students should cherish values like liberty, innovation and ethics to make a positive impact. Ask yourselves: how will your actions contribute to the greater good? Prioritize the community’s well-being and strive to make the world a better place.”
While NLUs and elite private law colleges offer high-quality legal education, a major chunk of law colleges suffer from outdated curricula, poor infrastructure, and lack of skilled faculty. In this context National Law Institute University, Bhopal Vice-Chancellor Prof (Dr) S Surya Prakash underlined the need for standardization of legal education. He said: “India’s legal education system is divided into three streams: law colleges, state law universities and national law universities. These institutions vary significantly in standards, quality, facilities and cost, creating a divisive force in education.” Professor Surya Prakash urged the Bar Council of India to establish strict standards; it currently equates LLB degrees from all three streams as equal.
On his part National Law University Delhi’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. GS Bajpai, urged the Bar Council of India to address quality issues in legal education. He advocated universities to be liberal spaces where students can freely exchange ideas, promoting a culture of free thought. NLU Delhi’s no-detention policy is a step towards this goal, and other National Law Universities are considering similar approaches, Prof. Bajpai said adding that such an approach encourages students to be active citizens, more so in legal education field.
As much we upgrade the legal education, the importance of basic education can’t be overlooked. A strong education system with universal reach and wholesome stress on the English language can go a long way in making legal education inclusive.
Pradeep Rai, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court recounted his personal experience of challenging times in childhood and batted for a strong education system : “We didn’t study English until class six. My experience has underlined the importance of proper education in formative years. A strong education and healthcare system are key to a country’s success, as employment opportunities follow naturally.”
The legal education, as any sector of higher education, is plagued by a two-tier system comprising elite and privileged and the not so privileged students. This division shows up in courtroom practise and beyond. Lack of stress on professional ethics is also proving dysfunctional. The need of the hour is not only to upgrade and standardize legal education but to make it inclusive, ethically grounded and socially responsive.
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