NBU to clear dues of Bar Council of India for affiliation of Law dept
Siliguri: The University of North Bengal (NBU) has decided to clear the dues of Bar Council of India (BCI) with penalty by August 14. Debashish Dutta, interim Registrar of the university stated this after a meeting on Friday. This comes in the wake of the Bar Council of India (BCI) sending a show cause to the University and directing the university to cease enrolling new students into the Law department for the current and future sessions.
On Thursday, the BCI sent a show cause letter to the university.
In the letter BCI has mentioned that “it has come to our notice through a court matter that NBU has been running its Law department since 2011 without the necessary approval from the BCI. The Bar Council of India directs the university to provide a detailed explanation within 7 days from the receipt of this notice explaining the reasons for operating the Law department without BCI approval.
Additionally, until this matter is finally resolved, the BCI directs North Bengal University to cease enrolling new students into the Law department for the current and future sessions.”
After receiving the letter, the university authorities held a meeting on Friday and made the decision.
On the heels of the show cause, an emergent meeting was held at the university on Friday. “We have decided to pay Rs 47 lakh, the pending amount, within August 14,” stated Debasish Dutta.
The Law department of the University has been operating without recognition from the BCI since 2011. This came to light when a former student of the university approached Bihar Bar Council for enrollment in 2023. Later, the student lodged a case at the Calcutta High Court.
It came to light that the University has to pay the BCI Rs 47 lakh. As the amount is pending, the name of the university was removed from the list affiliated by the BCI. Meanwhile, students from the Law department are staging protests, demanding the university take necessary steps for the affiliation.
