While your second point about student-run journals is well taken, there's definitely is a good amount of difference between even NLSIR, NUJS l. rev etc and JGLR. JGLR has significantly more original and innovative contributions from authors that are carefully thematized(every edition is). JGLR is definitely much better known internationally in the academy and is a more "scholarly" journal, if that makes sense, but the NLU journals certainly come into the limelight more when they're cited by the SC and all. But if you being to close read the contents of most of the articles of these journals, you will realise they say A LOT, but not anything very original. For example, while Jain's article that's been cited by the SC recently in the abortion case is definitely a good read, it doesn't really say anything much of its own.

Perhaps I was misunderstood. My rationale for saying see the difference for yourself was not to signify that JGLR is better, most definitely not. But perhaps that JGLR has more "academic" articles, whatever that is, which SCOPUS might tend to prefer. But your point about the student run journals is definitely worth taking into consideration. While I have not seen any inherent bias in indexing of student run law university journals in the US, UK, Germany etc., it is definitely worth noting that there is a trust deficit of Indian journals that haunts the academy at large and thus your point may in fact be valid.

Above all what I'm concerned about is why everyone is behind this SCOPUS race honestly. Kya chutiya criterion hain. Fuck Scopus. Creates too much pressure amongst academics also. Perhaps it is best that universities stop these dick measuring contests about who's got more scopus publications.

Cannot speak for those, but from India, multiple applications have been refused by SCOPUS on that ground itself. They sought among other things the publication records of the editors. Students cannot be expected to have that. Moreover, both Elsevier and Thomson Reuters are private organisations running those platforms on profit motive, as people from academia actually know. Indexation is no longer a guarantee of quality and there have been allegations that Elsevier has given the impression to certain applicants that indirect subscriptions and monetary contribution may be an unspoken factor in indexation.

There's no difference in quality between the good NLU journals like those from NLSIU, NALSAR, NUJS Law Review etc. and JGLR. The student run thing is the only problem. In fact, one of NLSIU's lesser known journals, the consumer law one, could get indexed in SCOPUS only because it isn't student run. Indexation in SCOPUS is hardly a guarantee of quality anymore. Even the journal from North Bengal University is indexed in SCOPUS at present, as are many predatory journals.