The Bar Council of India has directed all law colleges to integrate "Drafting of Legislation" and "Plain Language Drafting" as mandatory competencies within the LL.B. curriculum, effective from the 2026-27 academic session. The directive, issued under notification BCI:D:8917/2025 dated 13 December 2025, modifies Paper 21 (Drafting, Pleading and Conveyance) under Schedule II of Part II(B) of the Rules of Legal Education, 2008.
What has changed
The BCI has expanded the scope of Paper 21 — the existing course on Drafting, Pleading and Conveyance — to include two new competency areas:
1. Drafting of Legislation — Students will learn to translate policy objectives into legislative provisions, covering the drafting of both primary legislation (Acts) and subordinate legislation (rules, regulations, notifications). Out of the fifteen mandatory drafting exercises already prescribed in Paper 21, at least five must now focus on legislative drafting. Students will be required to prepare basic statutory provisions or subordinate legislation based on defined policy objectives.
2. Plain Language Drafting — Students will learn techniques to make legal and legislative texts comprehensible to non-lawyers without compromising legal accuracy. Out of the fifteen mandatory conveyancing exercises, at least five must require the application of plain language techniques. Students must demonstrate the ability to revise existing legal texts while preserving their legal effect.
No new paper is being added to the curriculum. The total number of prescribed papers remains unchanged. These competencies are being integrated as additions within the existing Paper 21 framework.
Who is affected
- All law colleges affiliated to BCI must update their Paper 21 syllabi to include legislative and plain language drafting components before the 2026-27 session begins
- LL.B. students (both 3-year and 5-year programmes) who will study Paper 21 from the 2026-27 academic session onwards
- Current students in their final year who have already completed Paper 21 are not affected
- Faculty members teaching Drafting, Pleading and Conveyance will need to update their course materials
What students should do
- Check with your college whether the updated Paper 21 syllabus has been incorporated for the upcoming session
- Incoming and continuing students who will take Paper 21 in 2026-27 should familiarise themselves with basic legislative drafting concepts — understanding the structure of an Act (long title, preamble, sections, schedules) is a good starting point
- For career planning, note that this reform specifically targets employability in legislative services, law commissions, and policy research roles. Students interested in these career paths should invest additional effort in this subject beyond the minimum requirements.