Bengaluru: Advocates protest for 25% domicile quota in NLSIU

A groups of advocates staged a protest on Saturday demanding implementation of 25% domicile reservation at National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru.

The agitating advocates, led by former office-bearers of the Advocates’ Association Bengaluru (AAB), said that other National Law Universities across the country have implemented reservation by excluding students who have obtained seats based on All India Rank merit.

The advocates said they have addressed a letter to the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, who is also the Chairman of Executive Council of the NLSIU, seeking his intervention. The advocates said that though the counselling process for admissions for the academic year 2023-24 is underway, classes are scheduled to commence only from July 2023. The letter requested the CJI to look into the matter to ensure that domicile reservation policy followed by NLSIU, Bengaluru, is in sync with the domicile reservation policies followed by other National Law Schools, from this academic year.

"The state had enacted National Law School of India Amendment Act 2020, introducing 25% domicile reservation. The advocates claimed that the domicile reservation is intended to be for the benefit of those students who do not qualify based on their All India Rank. Instead of implementing this, the NLSIU has merged the students who qualify under All India Quota and students who gain admission under the domicile reservation category. This has restricted the percentage of students from Karnataka to a maximum of 25%," said A P Ranganath, former president of AAB.

In a statement, the NLSIU said, on January 21, 2023, members of a few organisations gathered outside the NLSIU campus to raise concerns regarding the implementation of the Karnataka students reservation policy at the university. On behalf of the university, NLSIU Vice-Chancellor Prof (Dr) Sudhir Krishnaswamy met the gathering and received a memorandum submitted by the organisations. The Vice-Chancellor assured the gathering that the university fully complies with the applicable law and decisions of its governing bodies, and will continue to do so.The memorandum will be placed before the university's governing bodies for their consideration."

The university also released a set of FAQs to further address any concerns regarding the NLSIU's reservation policy.