India, incredible India!

Home of the golden sparrow today is a country with a population that exceeds the mighty number of 1 billion and is literally the largest democracy in the world. Interestingly, ever since its independence in 1947, it has been very peculiar about its foreign policies, trade and international affairs.

But traditionally or historically speaking, India has always been a country of Dharma or Law in modern language. However, in the midst of confusion caused during its colonised time, India understood the importance of democratic governance and an institution that disregards any developments will obey the ‘Law of the Land.’

Since independence, India has been a global trendsetter regarding practical and reality-based education and welcomes international students from all across the globe. Today, the entire country is a milestone for international students for effective governance and regulation of law.

Having said that, while welcoming international students interested in the intricacies of Indian democracy and its demography, there are many universities that groom them in a holistic atmosphere to understand the Law of the Land of India and its constitution in an embracing manner.

While searching for the best university for international students, we stumbled upon the steps of Bangalore University Law College, a trendsetter institution for the shared love for the law.

And in an interactive conversation with Prof. Dr Suresh V Nadagoudar, the Principal, Chairperson, and Dean Faculty of Law, at University Law College, Bangalore, where he shares the indulging journey of University Law College.

Let’s dive deep into the journey of the trendsetter university!

Kindly walk us through the saga story of your esteemed university.

The erstwhile government of Mysore (now the state of Karnataka) started the College in 1948. It was previously known as the Government Law College (GLC). In 1964, GLC was brought under the Faculty of Law of Bangalore University; since then, it has been known as University Law College (ULC).

Initially, a two-year LLB program was offered. The turnaround in legal education in India came about with the introduction of 5 years BA LLB Integrated degree programme, and ULC has the credit as the first institution in the country to introduce the five years LLB programme in the year 1986-87, with the keen initiation of Prof. V. B. Coutinho, the then Principal of ULC. The College offers a two-year LLM course, offering specialisations in Constitutional Law, Labour Law, Criminal Law and Corporate and Commercial Law.

This was an initiative to achieve higher standards in legal education as designed by the BCI, New Delhi. ULC is well known for organising many academic, research, literacy and extension programs such as National and International seminars, conferences and legal aid, moot courts and many cultural events too.

Kindly brief us about the featured person and their contribution to the college/university’s success.

Prof. Dr Suresh V Nadagoudar is currently the Principal, Chairperson, and Dean Faculty of Law, at University Law College, Bangalore. He has also served in various capacities such as Former Registrar and Vice Chancellor (Acting), Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Gadag; Former Registrar (Evaluation), Bangalore University; Former Registrar (Evaluation) & Registrar I/c, Karnataka State Law University, Hubballi. He has also served as a Member of the Syndicate, Senate, and Academic Council of different Universities, a member of BOE, BOS, and Faculty of Law and Chairperson of multiple local enquiry committees to inspect academic standards of the institutions and as an expert in various committees at University, State and National levels. He has multiple publications and awards to his credit and has guided many students at PG and Ph. D programmes.

We have achieved numerous milestones through the constant support of our distinguished teaching faculty, alumni, and university. These are the few notable achievements under the leadership of Prof. Dr Suresh V Nadagoudar:

• Infrastructure development;
• Smart classroom with projectors;
• Gender-inclusive admission;
• Transgender reservation (friendly environment for LGBTQ community);
• Anti-ragging and Anti sexual harassment mandate is strictly followed in the College.
• Dedicated Moot courtroom, which is a replica of a court setup;
• Arrangement of special lectures by eminent guests;
• Introduced distinguished visiting faculty who are eminent senior advocates of the High Court and Supreme Court;
• Introduced Model United Nations (MUN) and Successfully hosted the annual MUN competition;
• Publication of law journal, research & development activities;
• MOUs with prominent legal education institutions for student and faculty exchange programmes;
• Updated the course curriculum of LLB and LLM programmes.

 

A Statement of Objectives

Vision:

To achieve excellence in education for the realisation of a vibrant and inclusive society through knowledge creation and dissemination.

Mission:

University Law College, Bangalore, is committed to imparting quality education, promoting scientific tempo, and blending theoretical knowledge with practical skills. The institution aims to pursue academic excellence through teaching, research, and publications, and by providing access to all sections of the society to pursue higher education to promote leadership qualities among students, making them socially sensitive citizens.

What latest pedagogies is your university adopting to cater for the growing needs of international students on a large scale?

We at University Law College have updated our UG and PG syllabi to include comparative analyses of the legal system and laws prevailing in different countries. It has given international students an understanding of not only Indian laws but also different features of foreign laws.

Bangalore University permits the intake of an extra 25% of international students as per UGC Rules for our Post graduation program, which has different specialisations like Constitutional Law, Corporate and Commercial Law, Labour Law and Criminal Law.

International students are specially given an exemption from writing the All-India Entrance Exam for admission to our PG programme.

A unique provision has been made for PhD scholars, where international students can take admission at any time of the year subject to availability of vacancy, without waiting for the university notification calling candidates for PhD. The hostel facility is provided to international students.

Has your university introduced any unique learning programs for enhancing the skills of international students?

Bangalore University has many sister institutes (Departments) which offer diverse courses. Students are allowed to choose an open elective, CBCS, as per the UGC guidelines, which allows them to learn from different departments. Further, Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs) is also made a mandatory part of the PG programme.

Swayam, an online learning portal, enables students to take up self-learning courses with credits, and an examination will be conducted for assessment.

Opportunities to intern and work under renowned and eminent legal personalities are made available to the students. Overall, all these facilities will enhance the skills of international students.

What kind of extra-curricular and co-curricular activities and events do you conduct at your renowned university? How do you ensure maximum foreign students’ engagement in these events?

ULC conducts many activities throughout the year for students to participate in, some of them being Moot courts, debates, parliamentary quizzes, and Model United Nations.

The College also has a legal services clinic cell and NSS wing, which operate very actively to provide service to society. The activities include and are not limited to a legal awareness drive, village visits and camps, blood donation, environment meets and so on.

The College also has various clubs, some of which are initiated by students, including Moot club, Debate club, VCCR’s CRY – for child rights and so on.

The College also has a dedicated Moot Court Society and MUN society (A student body committee run under the guidance of the teaching faculty) which organise and host annual national competitions.

International students are encouraged to be part of all these programmes as participants and organisers.

Does your university have a personalised learning programme for international students, and what challenges did you face while implementing it?

Our university has s separate International Students Cell with a faculty coordinator to look into the admissions, welfare and well-being of international students and makes an earnest effort to make students feel at home. The College makes special mentoring for each and every student, which enables us to provide personal attention to their learning experience.

Guides are allotted to help students select topics for their thesis, dissertation and seminar. These topics are carefully selected, looking into the syllabus’s relevance and existing laws prevailing in international students’ home countries.

The main challenge encountered in this is access to laws of different countries and students’ understanding of the local language.

Please mention your university’s most notable achievements, accolades, accreditations, and awards.

The institution has brought in a number of laurels, which have had a significant impact not only on individuals but also on society. The university takes pride in various achievements displayed by its teaching and student community. Provided below are just a few of the many achievements from the period of 2018 to the present:

Year	Name	Award
2017-2018	Prof. Dr Suresh V Nadagoudar	Best Paper Presentation Award
2017-2018	Prof. Dr Suresh V Nadagoudar	Protsaha Award
2020-2021	Prof. Dr N Dasharath	NFB Dignity of Community Samman
2021-2022	Dr Sathish Gowda N	Best NSS Co-Ordinator State Award, 2020-21

How do you envision the future of your prestigious university going forward in India for International students?

Our university is situated in the famous world-renowned place of Bengaluru, which has been a welcoming home for many different people who have come from all over the world.

University law college is one of the oldest and best Colleges in the whole country; 80% of its teaching faculty have PhD with an in-depth understanding of the subject they are teaching.

In the near future, we’ll give very tough competition to private law schools and other law schools in the country and take all measures to attract more international students to pursue their education.