Now Reading: Delhi High Court says 3-year LLM lets lawyers practise while studying
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Delhi High Court says 3-year LLM lets lawyers practise while studying
The Delhi High Court has observed that the very purpose of a three-year LLM course is to allow students to continue practising before courts while pursuing their masters. The court passed the…
The Delhi High Court has observed that the very purpose of a three-year LLM course is to allow students to continue practising before courts while pursuing their masters. The court passed the order while permitting a lawyer to sit for his second semester LLM examination at Delhi University, after he was barred for failing to meet the mandatory attendance requirement.
Justice Jasmeet Singh noted that the classes for the three-year LLM course are held at noon, which is peak court hours, and students are not required to suspend their Bar licence during the course. The petitioner, a lawyer admitted in 2023, had only 43.5% attendance against the required 67.5%, citing court engagements.
The court allowed the petitioner to continue his LLM course after he undertook to make up the attendance shortfall in subsequent semesters and pay any arrears. The petition was dismissed for other petitioners as none appeared to represent them.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The ruling highlights the structural tension between mandatory attendance rules and the design of part-time legal education. Bar Council of India rules require law students to maintain minimum attendance, but the Delhi High Court has effectively recognised that a three-year LLM programme is intended for working professionals. The lawyer in question now faces the burden of completing the backlog of classes while balancing court work. Other students who were similarly detained will have to file fresh petitions individually, as their cases were dismissed for non-prosecution. The university may now be forced to revisit attendance norms for the three-year LLM stream to avoid repeated litigation.
Source: livelaw.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
