BCI, KIIT to jointly establish 'Indian Institute of Law'

Bhubaneswar: The Bar Council of India is a statutory body created by the Parliament under the Advocates' Act, 1961 to discharge the functions of regulating and promoting Legal Education and Legal Profession in the country.

The Bar Council of India through its Trust namely "B. C. I. Trust for Promotion of Education (Legal & Professional) and Reforms in Law and For Improvement of Research and Social Training", has taken the initiative to establish the "Indian Institute of Law (IIL), a Model Institute of Law Teachers' Academy, Continuous Legal Education and Research. The academy would primarily be for the teachers of Law.

The IIL would work in collaboration with Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), the famous Deemed University at Bhubaneswar in the State of Odisha.

Till date, there is no Training Institute in Law to cater to the needs for skill development of the Law Teachers and the Advocates. In the Indian Institute of Law (IIL), the young teachers of Law Schools of India and Advocates would enhance their expertise and professional skill and acumen. B.C.I. TRUST had earlier established the iconic institution for Legal Education namely, National Law School of India University (NLSIU) at Bangalore in the year 1986, which continues to be the model Law University of the country. This will be the first of its kind in the entire country. Such Institution was long contemplated by the Bar Council of India and its Trust.

But the idea of B.C.I. could not be materialized earlier due to one or other reason. The Bar Council of India and its Trust finally contacted Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), a great visionary, Academician and Founder of KIIT & KISS, Deemed Universities and after visiting both the campuses of KIIT and KISS, members of the Bar Council of India decided and resolved to establish the Indian Institute of Law (IIL) at Bhubaneswar, Odisha in collaboration with and support of KIIT University. B.C.I. Trust has entered into an MoU with KIIT and accordingly KIIT has provided requisite land at the prime location of Bhubaneswar (Patia). This apart, the KIIT will also bear 40 per cent of the cost of the infrastructure of the proposed campus of 1.5 lakh sq. feet area.

There is no doubt that the establishment of IIL will have far reaching ramifications in the field of legal education by reinforcing the position of the State of Odisha and India in the map of global education. It would be a great achievement and pride for Odisha in particular and the country in general.