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The Achilles' heel of the LLM in India is the lack of a clear purpose among students. In NLS, approximately half of the students pursue it only for the prestigious image it carries.
Another quarter undertake it with the intention of preparing for judicial exams, unaware of the course's rigorous demands. The remaining fraction often enrol due to a lack of better alternatives.
Only 6-7 students stand out as serious academics, embodying the true essence of scholarly pursuit within the LLM program
1. UGC recognises LLM with NET as key eligibility for teaching positions in Indian law colleges, and
2. India has very few high quality undergraduate programs and law schools. Very few students get the opportunity to receive privileged and high quality education like those who study at NLS, Nalsar or Jindal or few more law schools. All other LLB graduates who mostly receive mediocre education or no education at all (yes, there are hundreds of law colleges which help you get LLB degree without attending a single lecture), a good one year LLM degree is a must for them to upgrade themselves and become better as a future lawyer and legal professional.
Here's where the solution lies. Make LLM a mandatory 2 year program integrating MPhil with it, where the majority of papers are research and teaching oriented. Keep it open for people who are serious about research and academia. Make it rigourous. Make it a minimum requirement for a PhD.
On the other hand keep the one year LLM as it is; for people who want that extra degree, for specific specialisations like tax and IPR, & for time pass.
Emphasis more on the 2 year LLMs for academia. In this way we are seperating the wheat from the chaff. People geniunely interested in academics will go for the 2 year. The rest can go for the 1 year.
I remember among my batch of 40 people in LLM, from a top NLU, had only 3 people who wanted to get into academia. Rest where just using it as a transit degree.