Kolkata: The University of Calcutta (CU) has announced that no fresh admissions will be permitted into the sixth semester of the five-year BA LLB (Honours) course from the academic session 2024-25 onwards. The decision, taken at a meeting of the university Syndicate held in mid-May, brings an end to the existing practice of mid-semester admissions into the Honours course. According to university sources, CU’s department of Law had previously allowed selected students from the regular five-year BA LLB course to shift to the Honours stream in the sixth semester based on their academic performance. These lateral entries, made through fresh admission notifications, had been a longstanding practice. However, the process was flagged as a violation of university policy and had drawn objections from the Bar Council of India (BCI), the sources added.
As a result, the university has decided that no fresh admissions will be allowed into the sixth semester from the 2024-25 session. “Students who wish to pursue the Honours course must take admission from the first semester itself, not in the sixth semester. This is a requirement of the BCI,” a university official stated. In a recent notification issued by CU registrar Debasis Das, the university clarified that students who qualify for Honours in the fifth semester will be permitted to continue into the sixth semester at their respective colleges or the Department of Law, provided the institutions hold valid BCI affiliation for offering Honours courses. Students must also meet the eligibility criteria set by both CU and the BCI. Additionally, CU has made it mandatory that entrance tests for admission to its Department of Law and affiliated colleges shall not be conducted unless the annual BCI affiliation renewal process is completed. The Department of Law has also been directed to seek prior approval from the university each academic year before conducting the entrance examination, starting from the academic session 2025-2026.