Law colleges in city face delays over Bar Council recognition; fines mount

Law colleges in city face delays over Bar Council recognition; fines mount

 Yogita.Rao@timesofindia.com 12.07.2026

Mumbai : A majority of law colleges across Mumbai are in a bind over a new state govt requirement that makes the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) recognition letter mandatory for participation in the CET cell’s admission process. 

Due to a procedural mismatch between the two statutory authorities, Mumbai University (MU) and the BCI, private colleges are forced to pay a fine of up to Rs 8 lakh to obtain BCI approval. Colleges now plan to meet the higher education minister, Chandrakant Patil, to seek a relaxation of the requirement. Meanwhile, 30 colleges, which were denied affiliation certificates, are yet to get relief from the MU. 

Together, the two issues have raised concerns over delays in this year’s admission process. A principal said ‘the university’s affiliation certificate for the academic session was issued to several colleges only recently, when the BCI process required them to upload the certificate by Dec 31’. 

“Although the delay is entirely beyond the control of the colleges, the BCI is levying a late fee fine for delayed compliance, which is Rs 4 lakh per programme. Colleges offering both the 3-year and the 5-year LLB are burdened with an unfair financial liability of Rs 8 lakh,” they mentioned in a letter to Patil. 

The MU, in a letter written to the BCI, mentioned that the affiliation certificates are granted in June every year, as per the provisions of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016. MU, therefore, appealed to the council to exempt colleges from the imposition of a late fee. No relaxation has been granted by the BCI yet. The problem is faced only by private and unaided colleges that have to seek extension of affiliation from the university every year. 

Most aided colleges, which enjoy permanent affiliation, have already obtained the BCI recognition letter. Earlier the BCI followed a manual process. Though similar clashes between the timelines of the two statutory authorities have occurred in the past, the shift to an online approval process two years ago has made it even more difficult for colleges, said a principal. “It will be a recurring  problem in Maharashtra universities. Either the universities will have to issue the affiliation certificates before Dec 31, or the BCI will have to extend their deadline,” he added.

NEWS TODAY 11.07.2026

IRCTC to launch clutter-free, faster ticket booking website

IRCTC to launch clutter-free, faster ticket booking website

 Dipak.Dash@timesofindia.com 11.06.2026

New Delhi : Booking train tickets through IRCTC website is set to become faster and hasslefree. Railways Friday announced that the beta version of the revamped IRCTC website will be launched soon, offering a clutter-free interface without unnecessary captchas, pop-ups, flashing graphics or other distractions. In a statement, Railway Board said improvements in the site’s beta version also includes display of seat availability across all coach classes, faster checkout as the number of steps to book tickets has been reduced and making repeat bookings easier by saving passenger details. 

On Friday, IRCTC and Centre for Railway Information Systems officials met students of Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur. The officials have sought more feedback before the launch of the beta version. A few weeks ago, students of the institute had pointed out the issues in IRCTC website and the national transporter had promised to revamp the portal on July 15.

Med colleges repackage fees as NMC bars internship charges

Med colleges repackage fees as NMC bars internship charges 

Five-Year Fee Payable In 4.5 Years; Cost Unchanged 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK   11.07.2026

Chennai : Medical colleges are complying with the National Medical Commission’s April 2026 order barring tuition charges for the mandatory one-year MBBS internship. But instead of reducing costs, institutions have spread the same five-year fee total, or a higher amount, over 4.5 years, raising annual instalments while the overall payout stays the same — or higher. 

A revised fee chart published on the website of a deemed university for its 250 seat MBBS programme illustrates the pattern. Annual tuition fee now stands at ₹25 lakh, billed every year for 4.5 years — a total of ₹1.12 crore — up from ₹21.97 lakh paid across five instalments ( ₹1.09 crore) under the earlier structure. 

Under the NRI quota, students now pay US$52,000 per year, again compressed into 4.5 annual cycles, against US$46,800 per year paid over five instalments earlier. 

Hostel fees ( ₹1.9 lakh for non-AC, ₹2.6 lakh for AC accommodation), transport ( ₹1 lakh for air-conditioned buses) and refundable caution deposits of ₹25,000 each for college and hostel remain unchanged from prior years. 

Another university, which had allowed students to pay ₹28 lakh per year for five years — a total of ₹1.40 crore — has now told parents that if the same amount is paid over 4.5 years, the annual instalment will exceed ₹31 lakh. A third college has told parents it will allow the 4.5 year fee to be paid in five instalments instead of four. 

“It is framed as flexibility, though it changes nothing for families financially,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. Fees for self-financing colleges and private universities are fixed by the state fee fixation committee, but there is no cap on fees charged by deemed universities. 

NMC said colleges cannot ask students to pay fees during their internship year. Last week, state health minister K G 1 Arunraj said the govt will ensure all medical colleges fell in line. “Complaints against management charging additional fees, or those not paying a stipend, can be made anonymously on the state helpline 104,” he said.

NEWS TODAY 10.07.2026