The court has directed the Bar Council of Manipur to facilitate the submission of forms by the students of the LMS Law college, who are eligible to participate in All India Bar Examination scheduled for June 2022 by providing them provisional enrollment in the Bar Council of Manipur.
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The High Court of Manipur has intervened after the State Bar Council of Manipur denied enrollment to 84 students passed out from LMS Law College affiliated under Dhanamanjuri University as an advocate.
The court has directed the Bar Council of Manipur to facilitate the submission of forms by the students of the LMS Law college, who are eligible to participate in All India Bar Examination scheduled for June 2022 by providing them provisional enrollment in the Bar Council of Manipur.
The HC’s direction came following a petition by Thongam Zingo Singh, Jeson Ladumai, Leichombam Nikita Devi, Takhelmayum Macmilan and Takhenchangbam Shadishkanta Sharma, who are he L.L.B Degree passed out from LMS Law College, Imphal under Dhanamanjuri University in the year 2021.
They have filed a Public Interest Litigation to espouse the cause of about 84 students passed out of the DMU but have been deprived of enrollment as advocates by the State Bar Council on the ground that the DMU is not a recognized university by the Bar Council of India as on date.
The petitioners pleaded the HC to issue a Writ of Mandamus or other appropriate writs or directions or orders for redressal of the grievances faced by 84 law graduates.
After hearing counsel for the petitioners M Gunedhor, Chief Justice of High Court Sanjay Kumar issued notices to the Centre, Manipur government, BCI, Manipur Bar Council, DMU, L.M.S Law College and the Manipur University, returnable on July 13, 2022.
The petitioners stated that representations have been filed before the concerned authorities for immediate actions to recognise the DMU by the BCI but to no avail.
The LMS Law College Imphal was established as a private college before its conversion to Government Law College before the establishment of Manipur University. The Law college was under the Gauhati University. The Bar Council of India granted affiliation to the LMS Law College in 1969 while under the Gauhati University and thereafter under the Manipur University.
With the establishment of DMU in the year 2017, the LMS Law College became one of the constituent Colleges of the DMU. In the year 2018, DMU after its establishment started imparting legal education approved by BCI by enrolling its 1st batch in that year at the LMS Law College, Imphal. It is pertinent to mention that the LMS Law College was affiliated to Manipur University till 2017 and was recognized by the Bar Council of India