The Bar Council of India has formally withdrawn its three-year moratorium on new law colleges, restoring the inspection-based approval process under the Rules of Legal Education, 2008. Universities and institutions can now apply for BCI approval to start new Centres of Legal Education for the academic year 2026-27, with the application deadline set at 31 March 2026.
What has changed
In August 2025, the BCI had notified the Rules of Legal Education — Moratorium (Three-Year Moratorium), 2025, imposing a blanket prohibition on approving new law colleges or expanding existing institutions. This freeze drew legal challenges.
On 2 February 2026, the Madras High Court observed that the BCI itself had reconsidered and replaced the moratorium through a subsequent resolution. On 23 February 2026, the Supreme Court of India formally recorded that the moratorium had been withdrawn, clearing the path for institutions to apply for the 2026-27 academic session.
On 5 March 2026, the BCI issued a clarification confirming that the August 2025 moratorium notification is "no longer operative or enforceable." The old moratorium has been replaced by a four-stage statutory approval workflow under Chapter III of the Rules of Legal Education, 2008:
- Online application submitted through official BCI portals (separate portals for new institutions and existing CLEs)
- Administrative scrutiny by the BCI office for completeness, statutory compliance, fees, affiliation, NOC, and other prerequisites
- Physical inspection by BCI-constituted inspection teams evaluating infrastructure, faculty, library, and facilities
- Final decision by the competent committee based on the inspection report, through a merit-based reasoned order
The BCI has also discontinued extra-statutory mechanisms such as pre-inspection filtering and the Inspection Permission Committee. All decisions will now follow the statutory framework directly.
Who is affected
- Universities planning to start new law colleges: Can now apply for BCI approval for the 2026-27 session
- Existing CLEs seeking expansion: Institutions previously blocked from adding courses or increasing intake can reapply
- Institutions whose applications were returned during the moratorium: May resubmit under the current requirements
- Current law students: No immediate impact on enrolled students, but the long-term effect is an increase in available seats across the country
What students should do
- If you are a student at an existing BCI-approved college, no action is needed. Your college's approval status is not affected by this change.
- If you are considering admission to a newly approved college for 2026-27, verify that the institution has completed the full BCI inspection process before enrolling. University affiliation alone does not substitute for BCI approval.
- Check the BCI website at barcouncilofindia.org for the updated list of approved Centres of Legal Education once the new inspection cycle concludes.
Applications for new approvals must include a valid university affiliation order, government permissions or No-Objection Certificates, and the applicable processing fees as per the BCI fee structure.