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UGC clarifies: We didn’t mean to slay the one-year LLM

One-year LLM to stay for more than one year
One-year LLM to stay for more than one year

The one-year LLM degree is here to stay, according to a new University Grants Commission (UGC) note published on Tuesday, to clarify its earlier 5 July notification that raised eyebrows by appearing to extend the minimum duration of the Indian LLM to two years again.

The 5 July notification on the “Specification of Degrees”, had also set a minimum duration of six years for undergraduate programmes such as LLBs offering lateral entry or exit to six years, as reported by Legally India last week.

The new clarification, dated 5 August [PDF], stated that “it is reiterated that one year LLM Degree programme shall be allowed to be run” in colleges with centres for post graduate legal studies for “candidates who have entry qualification of first degree plus LLB or who have successfully completed five year integrated programme after 10+2”.

Reading the Specification of Degrees notification and Tuesday’s clarification together, would maintain the status quo of the five-year integrated LLB degree and the one-year Indian LLM offered, provided they do so in accordance with other UGC guidelines.

The clarification, signed by UGC secretary Jaspal Sandhu, stated:

“1. The University Grants Commission has recently notified the specification of Degrees alongwith minimum duration which can be awarded by the Universities at different levels. This notification has been published in the Gazette of India on 5th of July, 2014.

2. In this connection, it is clarified that only those Universities which have established the Centre for Post Graduate Legal Studies in accordance with UGC’s Guidelines, issued on 18th January, 2013 [...], can offer one year LLM Degree program. […]

3. This is in consonance with UGC (Minimum Standards of Instructions for the Grant of Master’s Degree through Formal Education), (1st Amendment), Regulations, 2013, which provides that:

‘Provided that a master’s degree, where entry qualification is two bachelor’s degree in succession, including one in the relevant discipline or integrated degree of five years in the relevant discipline after plus two, the duration may be one year.’

4. In view of the above, it is reiterated that one year LLM Degree programme shall be allowed to be run in the Centre for Post Graduate Legal Studies for the candidates who have entry qualification of first degree plus LLB or who have successfully completed five year integrated programme after 10+2.”

After the Specification of Degrees notification, Legally India had spoken to Prof Madhav Menon who had predicted that in the absence of the UGC withdrawing the notification allowing the one-year LLM in India in 2013, the UGC’s intention through the 5 July notification would just have been to allow for both the one-year LLM and the two-year LLM degrees to be run in India.

Hat-tip to Legally India commenter for pointing us to the new notification.

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