The decision came on a petition on the unsatisfactory state of law education in the country. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heading a three-judge bench, delivered the judgment. According to the CJP, an important reason for the declining quality of legal education is the ever-increasing number of law schools in the country, as this has rendered it difficult to hire good teachers for so many schools. It is an unfortunate fact that a majority of the law schools operating in Pakistan only mean business – well, in the monetary sense of the word. The diminishing public trust in the ability of lawyers to successfully pursue cases in courts has also to do with the poor standard of teaching in the so-called law colleges.The Supreme Court has ordered the constitution of an independent committee to make suggestions for regulating and improving the quality of legal education in the country and directed the law ministry to provide assistance in the formation of the body.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial, said the proposed committee should determine the number of law colleges to be allowed to function as mushrooming of institutions affected the quality of teaching.
The court gave the order on a petition moved by Malik Aneeq Khatana, in which the petitioner had sought the issuance of an order restraining those lawyers from taking part in any elections who were enrolled either after passing on the basis of 40 per cent minimum marks, instead of 50 per cent, or without passing the Law Graduate Assessment Test (LAW-GAT).
The CJP directed the law ministry to constitute the standing committee after consulting bar councils across the country.According to the petitioner, lawyers in Punjab find the standard of law education in the country “embarrassing and shocking” and feel that steps must be taken to stem the rot.
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial observed that no one knew better than judges how to bear criticism despite showing good intentions but in the end only truth prevails. The observation came when Supreme Court Bar Association President Ahsan Bhoon regretted that the court have tolerated criticism with great forbearance.
Consequently, the PBC framed the Pakistan Bar Council Legal Education Rules, 2015 (Rules).
The petition regretted that in Pakistan, legal education has become a business and was no longer a medium of producing quality lawyers.
Consequently, the PBC had formulated Pakistan Legal Education Rules 2015. In 2019, then CJP Justice Asif Saeed Khosa had emphasised the need for restoring the nobility of legal profession. All these pleas from the highest judicial quarters have failed to put things right.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial, said the proposed committee should determine the number of law colleges to be allowed to function as mushrooming of institutions affected the quality of teaching
