National Law University, Delhi was established in 2008 by Act No. 1 of 2008 of NCT Delhi[1] in the National Capital Territory of Delhi with the initiative of the High Court of Delhi under the leadership of Ranbir Singh, the founder-director and vice-chancellor of the Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad), who became the university's vice-chancellor. It was inaugurated by then President of India, Pratibha Patil. The college started functioning in 2008 from temporary buildings. By 2010, the college had completed its construction and was fully functional.
Academics
Academic Programmes
Undergraduate
NLUD offers a five-year undergraduate, B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) program. One hundred and ten seats are offered and ten additional seats are allocated to foreign nationals /OCI/ PIO. The undergraduate program is based on a credit system with additional seminar courses for further learning, pursuant to the interests of the students. The program consists of approximately fifty subjects to be studied over ten semesters, with five subjects in each semester. Students are expected to submit fifty research projects before their graduation. The curriculum remains intensive and has led to concerns being brought about stress levels amongst the students.[2]
Postgraduate
NLUD also offers a one-year LL.M. program. The admission is through a written test which is conducted by the University followed by an interview.[3] It additionally offers Postgraduate Diploma program in Urban Environmental Management, Judging and Court Management, and IPR and Patent Law along with[4]Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D).[5]
The AILET for B.A.LL.B (Hons.) programme has three (3) sections of 150 multiple choice questions for 150 marks in total. The duration of the examination is 120 minutes.
The three sections are:
Section A: English Language (50 questions; 50 marks).
Section B: Current Affairs & General Knowledge (30 questions; 30 marks).
Section C: Logical Reasoning (70 questions; 70 marks).
Legal principles may be used in the logical reasoning section to test logical aptitude but the examination will not require any kind of legal knowledge or technical understanding.
Negative marking: There will be Negative Marking in AILET 2022-23. The criteria for negative marking will be based on the formula 0.25*4=1 which means per wrong answer 0.25 Marks will be deducted. Therefore, four wrong answers will lead to a deduction of 1 Mark.
If two or more candidates get the same marks at the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET), their merit will be determined on the basis of higher marks in the section on LOGICAL REASONING in the AILET 2022.
If the merit is still the same, then the candidate senior in age shall get preference. If still there is no change in merit, then the computerized draw of lots shall be taken into consideration.
The library is named after T. P. S. Chawla, a former judge of the High Court of Delhi who contributed significantly to the development of the library by donating his personal collection of rare volumes to it. The library is fully automated, and book circulation is maintained through electronic Library-cum-Identity Cards with the help of a barcode system. The collection comprises over 41,000 documents, including monographs, commentaries, textbooks, reference books and loose leaf material on various subjects, such as Jurisprudence, Judicial Process, Constitutional law, Intellectual Property, Public International Law, Environmental Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Aviation Law, Human Rights, Criminal Law, Cyber Laws, International Business Transactions, and Maritime Law.[10]
Centre for Constitutional Law, Policy and Governance
Centre for Criminology and Victimology
Centre for Comparative Studies in Personal Laws
Project 39A
Project 39A is inspired by Article 39-A of the Indian Constitution, which champions equal justice and opportunity by breaking down socioeconomic barriers. With a focus on empirical research, Project 39A aims to reevaluate criminal justice practices, sparking dialogues on issues like legal aid, torture, forensics, mental health in prisons, and the death penalty.
The team is committed to conducting rigorous research before proposing reforms, despite challenges like poor record-keeping and data access. They emphasize the importance of communicating their findings to a broader audience beyond legal professionals, as the health of the criminal justice system concerns society as a whole.
Centre for Environmental Law, Policy and Research (CELPR)
Centre for Innovation, Intellectual Property and Competition (CIIPC)
Centre for Social Inclusion And Minority Rights
Centre for Transparency and Accountability in Governance
Centre for Transnational Commercial Law
NLUD also possesses endowed chairs:
K.L. Arora Chair in Criminal Law
Justice B.R. Sawhny Chair in Professional Ethics
Student Life
Kairos
Kairos was the literary and cultural fest of the University. It included a variety of events, which are legal as well as cultural. Each night featured performances by popular stage artists and musicians, which have included The Raghu Dixit Project, Faridkot, Dualist Inquiry, Dhruv Visvanathan, The Urban Earlymen, and the Family Cheese.
Student Bar Council
The National Law University Delhi Student Bar Council Constitution delineates the structure and operations of the Student Bar Council (SBC) at the National Law University (NLU) Delhi. The SBC is a central body representing the interests of all students pursuing the B.A.LL.B. (Hons.) course and LL.M. program, as well as those enrolled in other courses, including exchange students. The constitution establishes five distinct organs within the SBC: SBC Committees Organ, SBC Societies Organ, SBC Governing Council Organ, SBC Election Management Organ, and SBC Grievance Management Organ.
The SBC Committees Organ plays a pivotal role in student governance. It comprises two integral components: the Committee Executive (Committee-Executive) and the General Body (Committee-GB). The Committee-Executive serves as the executive branch, responsible for coordinating committee matters within the SBC Governing Council, authorizing decisions and actions, and ensuring compliance with the constitution. The Committee-GB, on the other hand, functions as the consultative branch.
Crucially, Article 4 outlines the composition of the SBC Committee-Executive, specifying the number of positions for various courses and emphasizing gender diversity. It underscores the importance of having at least half of the Committee-Executive members from each batch be women. Additionally, provisions are made to address underrepresentation issues through nominations. Furthermore, individuals are deemed ineligible for Committee-Executive positions if they have been involved in disciplinary actions, violated the PoSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Act, are part of an exchange program, or if violate other constitutionally defined criteria. Members can cease to hold their positions through resignation, removal, or various other reasons, leading to the creation of vacancies.
Herbert Smith Freehills - National Law University Delhi International Negotiation Competition
The Herbert Smith Freehills - National Law University Delhi International Negotiation Competition (INC) offers a unique educational experience for law students worldwide. It simulates legal negotiations, benefiting those aspiring to become international lawyers.
Participation is by invitation only, drawing top universities globally, and fostering diverse and challenging negotiation environments. Established in 2014 at NLU Delhi, this pioneering competition garners acclaim for its high-quality simulations and judging standards.
Participants act as international lawyers in negotiations. Teams submit plans, engage in hour-long sessions, and advance through preliminary, quarter-final, semi-final, and final rounds. Awards include certificates, a trophy for winners, cash prizes, and recognition for the best negotiator and negotiation plan. The spirit of the competition award is also given to the team that best displays the qualities of good negotiation.
Journals run by students and faculty at National Law University Delhi (NLU Delhi) are an integral part of the institution's academic landscape. These publications serve as platforms for legal scholarship, research, and discourse, facilitating the exchange of ideas and promoting academic excellence within the legal community.
These are the journals published by the school:
NLUD Student Law Journal
Journal of National Law University, Delhi
International Journal of Transparency and Accountability in Governance
