CIC directs BCI to publish inspection reports of law colleges on its website

Bar Council of India (BCI) has been told to publish the inspection reports of law colleges on its website.

"For the said reason, the Commission directs the FAA to place this order before their competent authority to ensure that action is expedited with respect to the upgradation of the BCI website while also incorporating the stipulations of the Commission in the H N Pathak case," the CIC directed, as reported by Bar and Bench.

In the order given on May 25, CIC Saroj Punhani said that the revelation of the inspection reports of the law colleges in the public domain will benefit the student community at large and will significantly reduce the burden of RTI applications filed in this regard.

The Background

A fourth-year law student Prasoon Shekhar filed an RTI application on March 16, 2020, to inquire as to how frequently the inspection of colleges was done by BCI. He had sought the following details - a list of colleges which are not found fit after inspection between 2016-20, whose affiliations were cancelled by BCI between 2016-20, and a list of all the colleges and the members who were inspected along with date and time of the RTI Request.

The CIC also had a strong objection against the decision of the First Appellate Authority (FAA) which had refused the plea to provide details of law colleges which were found unfit after BCI inspection or had their affiliation cancelled.

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