REFORMING LEGAL EDUCATION

PILs seek CET for admissions to law colleges Reintroducing a common entrance test for law admissions, barring entry of nonstudents on the premises of law colleges and an external disciplinary committee to monitor student activities were some of the suggestions mooted in the Madras high court on Tuesday to improve the standard of legal education in the state. When a batch of public interest writ petitions expressing concern at the November 12 campus clash in the Dr Ambedkar Government Law College came up for hearing, the first bench comprising chief justice A K Ganguly and justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla observed that a common test encouraging competition at the entry level would be in the interest of students. The bench said legal education must be serious and competitive, where merit alone should count. Earlier, advocate-general G Masilamani, who was appointed as the courtâ€™s representative to go into the issue and file a report on Tuesday, sought more time to submit it. Noting that the work was nearing completion, he asked for a day more to file it. The bench posted the matter to Thursday. During arguments, the judges said college authorities could also consider issuing identity cards and denying entry to outsiders. The possibility of appointing a sitting or district judge to function as an external disciplinary authority would also be considered. Masilamani, noting that he had received 37 representations from students, advocates and organisations, said unfettered entry and presence of more than one gate to the law college were the prime reasons for the presence of non-students on the premises. Senior advocate Sriram Panchu, who represents a group of six advocates, told the court that anything short of appointing an external disciplinary committee would not work. He also noted that the college here had 24 sections, but only 11 classrooms.

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