The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University has been ordered by the Madras High Court to allow a student who completed a three-year diploma program after completing the tenth grade to apply for admission to the five-year BA LLB program.

The court ruled that he cannot be disqualified just because he completed a three-year diploma program after passing the tenth grade.

5-year integrated L.L.B. degree course

The Bar Council of India previously stated that for the purposes of admission to the 5-year integrated BA LLB degree course, a 3-year diploma or polytechnic study from a government-recognized institution would be regarded as equivalent to a Class XII certificate.

The circular is extremely self-explanatory in nature, according to Justice CV Karthikeyan, and it is obvious that the petitioner’s qualifications permit him to take part in the selection process for the five-year integrated law degree.

The court also took note of a division bench decision from 21.12.2022, which was in the case of P. Santhru Swaminathan vs. The Registrar, the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, and two others. In that case, the issue was also examined, and it was decided that for the purposes of admission to the 5-year integrated L.L.B. degree program, a 3-year diploma or polytechnic course from a government-recognized institution.

BA LLB: Bar Council of India circular and incorporate in their prospectus

“This decision clarifies the whole situation, and the respondents are instructed to let the petitioner take part in counseling and then, if he is otherwise qualified, to offer him a place in a 5-year BA LLB program in compliance with other rules and regulations.
However, the fact that he had studied for a three-year diploma course after finishing the tenth grade cannot be used to disqualify him “The court stated.

The petition was thus granted, and the court also ordered the Registrar of the Tamil Nadu Ambedkar Law University to include this position in the prospectus for the following academic year.

“The first respondent may take into account the decision of this Court, in particular, the decision of the Division Bench, stated above, as well as the Bar Council of India circular and incorporate in their prospectus, that the students who have completed a 3-year diploma or polytechnic by a recognized institution after passing the 10th standard shall also be considered at par with those students who had done their +2 and obtained the qualification,” the court’s decision reads.

S. Karthi v. Registrar, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University Case Number: W.P. No. 18822 of 2022