The authorities of private universities are making preparations to submit a writ petition challenging a High Court order asking them to obtain Bangladesh Bar Council (BBC) clearance to run LLB courses. They said they would file the petition, seeking elaboration of the order and more time to comply, for they think it is difficult to fulfil the directive within a short period of time. The order was issued on April 13 this year in a court verdict on the Darul Ihsan University, which ordered the shutdown of the institution. Under the court’s order, the universities that wish to offer LLB courses have to apply to the BBC by August 31 for ‘clearance certificates’ along with a security deposit of Tk. 10,00,000, to be paid into the BBC bank account. Also, they have to submit the CVs of 10 permanent teachers with their academic certificates. “It’s really a tough condition for the private universities to comply with within a short time. We need a huge amount of money and 10 full-time teachers, which is really hard for us,” Prof. Iftekhar Ghani Chowdhury, vice chancellor of State University of Bangladesh, told The Independent yesterday. “All the private universities have made preparations to file a writ seeking time and elaboration of the order, as many things are not clear,” he added. Prof. Dr Abdul Mannan Choudhury, vice-chairman of the Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh (APUB), said, “All APUB members are ready to file a writ petition in this regard. We will do it soon, as we have only a few days in hand. The conditions are really hard to follow within a short time.”
According to the University Grants Commission (UGC), at least 64 out of 94 private universities were running the law programme. Besides, some of the private universities have a two-year LLB (Pass) course, which, as per the court verdict, does not lead to ‘a degree in law.’ The court has said private universities must have at least five standard-size classrooms exclusively for law students and at least 10 full-time qualified permanent teachers.
The court’s order also bars the UGC from giving permission to open LLB (honours) courses without the BBC’s concurrence. UGC sources said a number of private universities had earlier applied for permission to open LLB (honours) courses, but now they have stopped giving permission unless they get BBC clearance certificates.