National Law School of India University - NLSIU Bangalore

About National Law School of India University - NLSIU Bangalore

The National Law School of India University at Bangalore was established by the Karnataka Government on August 29, 1987 through a Gazette Notification, under the National Law School of India Act (Karnataka Act 22 of 1986). The concept of a national institution to act as a pace-setter and a testing ground for bold experiments in legal education came up before the Bar Council of India in the context of the Council's statutory responsibility for maintaining standards in professional legal education under the Advocates Act, 1961. The University is the result of the co-operation of the Karnataka Government, the Bangalore University and the initiatives of senior members of the Bar Council of India as well as that of Karnataka State Bar Council. The NLSIU started its journey in 1987 under the stewardship of its Founder Director, Dr. N.R. Madhava Menon. The NLSIU started its courses in the premises of the Central College, Bangalore University. The NLSIU moved to its own premises at the present address in 1992. The method of teaching involves lectures, discussions, case studies, Moot Courts and project work. An innovative feature of the teaching method followed by the NLSIU is the cooperative teaching where two or more teachers jointly offer a course and interact with the students in the same class. This is particularly useful for the multi-disciplinary analysis of socio-legal problems. At the end of each course, the students are expected to complete an evaluation of the courses undertaken by them in that trimester. The comments in these evaluation forms are taken seriously by students and the faculty. Many professors specifically ask the students they taught to write extensive comments on the teaching, reading materials, availability for consultation, etc., so that they can more accurately identify students' concerns especially in courses that are taught for the first time.

Location  - The National Law School of India University is located in Nagarbhavi, approximately 10 kms from the Bangalore City railway station. The Law School is spread over an 18 acre campus at the entrance to the Jnana Bharati Campus from the Nagarbhavi end. Click here for Google Map Location

Transportation

By Bus

• One of the city's largest bus stands is located right opposite the City Railway Station. It is called the "Majestic" Bus Stand. The buses that come to Nagarbhavi are : 235, 235B, 235C, 235F and 43 (Pushpak) [From PLATFORM 19A].

• If one does not get a bus to Nagarbhavi, it is also convenient to catch a bus to VIJAYNAGAR and an auto-rickshaw from there to NLSIU ( Though one should expect to pay an extra sum, over and above the meter ). The Bus Service to Vijaynagar is VERY REGULAR and also crowded. Buses to VIJAYNAGAR ply from : PLATFORM 1 and 2.

By Taxi

• Taxis are a fairly comfortable way to travel in Bangalore, albeit a little expensive. If you are coming to NLSIU directly from the station or from the Airport, try to come by a pre-paid cab. Otherwise, things can get very expensive.

• If you are coming to NLSIU from some place where you are staying, it would be best for you to ring up a City / Radio Taxi Service and ask for a Taxi. These are by far the most reasonable and professional among the Taxi Services. However, the cabs do have a tendency to "not come at all" some times. So book well in advance and keep reconfirming.

• Phone Numbers: (City Taxis: 3487191, 3487192; Radio Taxis: 3321052, 3327589).

By Auto rickshaw

• Autos are a fairly convenient means of commuting in Bangalore. However, they do have their drawbacks. Being on the outskirts of Bangalore as it is, Nagarbhavi is not exactly a preferred location for the Auto rickshaw Drivers.

• If you take an auto to Nagarbhavi, you want to go "to Nagarbhavi circle" Expect the auto driver to ask for 1 1/2 of what appears on the meter. If travelling at night, or with excess baggage, or with more than three people, they may even ask for double. Do not take this as the final say of Auto fares and do try and bargain a bit.

• However, as a general principle, if not travelling to a remote locality or late at night, pay ONLY what appears on the meter. That is the correct fare. From Brigade Road / MG Road / Residency Road, expect the meter to read about 60-70 Rs.

Facilities

Hostels - There are three Halls of Residence for men (the Ganga , the Kaveri and the Himalaya ) and three for women (the Nilgiris, Annexe and Mess Block). There is also a P.G. Women's Hostel. The Halls of Residence have their own student-managed Dining Hall and Kitchen, which serve vegetarian food on all days and non vegetarian food on designated days. Students of the I year are generally allotted dormitories. From the second year, men have the option of triple seater rooms, which are T-shaped and once a curtain is drawn across the entrance, each cubicle becomes a private room. Women have a choice of twin seater's, in addition to the triple seater rooms. There are also a few single rooms available in both hostels. These are usually given to students in the final year. All rooms have a cot, cupboard, chair and desk. Students are advised to bring their own mattresses, curtains and bed-linen. All hostels have 24 hour running hot water. Laundry facilities are also available on campus. All hostels have their own generator and hence there is an uninterrupted power supply. The Halls of Residence have a common room, each equipped with cable television, limited facilities for indoor games and a small in-house library. The Hostels also have Tea/Coffee vending machines.

IT Services - The NLS has provided a campus wide Wired and Wireless Network for the students. The Academic block is equipped with 200 Wired Nodes and 150 Wireless Nodes. The Students use the network facilities to browse online databases, CD-ROM databases and online full text journals, surfing, communication, etc. A fibre-optic backbone is being laid across the campus connecting the Shri Narayan Rao Melgiri Library (new library building) with the Academic block. The Wi-Fi and Ethernet are provided at the New Library building. Currently, the academic block has around 100 computers which are networked. There is a 512 kbps leased line connection to the internet. The computer lab has around 30 computers for the exclusive use of students and is open 18 hours on all days. There are also computers in the library reference section connected to the internet.

Library - It has a collection of over 40,000 volumes covering a wide range of general and special subjects consisting of text books, reference books, back volumes of journals and reports etc., apart from current legal periodicals. The library has adopted an open access system so as to facilitate readers to have easy access to the library resources. The Library has also established links with other important libraries in and around Bangalore in order to provide inter-library access for the benefit of students and teachers of the NLSIU. The University subscribes to many international online databases like Westlaw International, JSTOR, Kluwer Online, Springer Link etc. which contains enormous resources like international case reporters, statutes, and articles from law reviews, an invaluable source for a law school student. Similarly, Indian online data bases like manupatra.com, indlaw.com are also available for students and faculty. NLSIU is among the first legal educational institutions in India to subscribe to these online databases.

Teaching Facility - Every classroom is facilitated with a LCD Projector and a Laptop with Wireless connectivity. The Wi-Fi connectivity at the classrooms enables the students to participate in discussion with the research material available online. Video Conferencing Facility is provided for the various national and international discussion groups through a PictureTel video Conference Equipment connecting with an ISDN and also on Internet. Every year, the NLS hosts the Alternate Dispute Resolution Competition with the Stanford University through Video-Conference.

Distance Education Programmes - The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) offers academic programmes in distance education mode to enable interested candidates in expanding their legal knowledge in a globalized world. Distance education programmes do not have barriers of age restriction. The minimum eligibility is a graduate degree from a recognized university.

The address for correspondence is:

The Coordinator,
Distance Education Department,
National Law School of India University,
Nagarbhavi, Bangalore - 560242.

The admission form may also be downloaded from www.nls.ac.in/ded. The issue of form and Handbook commences from April. The price of the form and Handbook is Rs.1,000/- The filled-in application form may be submitted on or before 30 June without late fee and 31st August with late fee of Rs.500/-.

Scholarships - In order to attract meritorious students from the lower socio-economic strata of society, the NLSIU attempts to provide as many scholarships as possible. Besides scholarships, in deserving cases, fee concession to the extent possible is granted on the recommendations of the Scholarship Committee.

Scholarship Rules

Students are eligible for NLSIU Scholarships/Fee Waiver as per the broad scheme given below:

1.  Merit Scholarship - Students who secure CGPA of 6.00 out of 7.00 in the previous year will be given a Merit Scholarship Certificate.

2.  Merit cum Means Scholarship - Scholarship amount will be disbursed only after submission of necessary documents for proof of income shown by them in the application form. The Scholarship Committee has the full discretion to fix any amount after considering the candidature of an applicant on the basis of the evidence of personal financial problems and the grades obtained. In case, an applicant fails to attend the interview, his/her case may not be considered for the Scholarship. The Scholarship Committee also has the discretion to vary the amount specified in the category considering the nature and financial problems of the students.

Various Scholarships are as follows:

• The Shankaramma Memorial Trust Scholarship - This scholarship is of Rs. 500/- per month is awarded every year to two or more students preferably from Andhra Pradesh wh have been admitted to the B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) / LL.M. courses of the NLSIU. The scholarship amount comes from the interest earned on an endowment of Rs.1,00,000/- instituted by Rani Shankaramma Memorial Trust, Hyderabad in 1988.

• Velakacherla Narasa Reddy Rural India Merit Scholarship -  One scholarship is awarded every year to a student commencing  the IV year studies. Scholarship so awarded shall run for two years subject to satisfactory performance. The scholarship amount comes from the interest earned on an endowment of Rs. 1,00,000/- donated.

• Justice Venkataswamy, Mrs. & Mr. Mariappa Gowda and Mrs. &  Mr. B. Narayan Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded to a highly deserving student of NLSIU  towards his/her boarding/lodging charges in the University. The scholarship amount comes from the interest earned on an endowment of Rs.1,00,000/- donated by Mr. K.M. Krishnappa and Mrs. Indira Krishnappa, residents of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

• Late Justice B. Vasudevamurthy Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded to deserving and meritorious student  who is not otherwise able to join this University due to economic conditions. The scholarship amount comes from the interest earned  on an endowment of Rs.10,00,000/-.

• Hemant Narichania Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded to II and III year meritorious students of  B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) from lower socio-economic strata of society. The  scholarship amount comes from the interest earned on an endowment of Rs.1,00,000/-.

• The Bodh Raj Sawhney Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded every year to the highly deserving student. The scholarship amount comes from the interest earned on an endowment of Rs.1,00,000/-.

• The Lalit Bhasin Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded every year to the highly deserving student. The scholarship amount comes from the interest earned on    an endowment of Rs.1,50,000/-.

• Dr. K. Manorama Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded to II year Girl Student based on merit-cum means. The scholarship amount comes from the interest earned on an endowment of Rs.60,000/-.

• Sam Byramji Nariman Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded every year to the highly deserving  student, instituted by Mr. Fali S. Nariman. The scholarship amount comes from the interest earned on an endowment of Rs.1,00,000/-.

• Mr. M.S.S. Rao Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded every year to the highly deserving student. The scholarship amount is Rs. 6,250/-.

• Manupatra Scholarship - This scholarship is awarded every year to the highly deserving student as decided by the Scholarship Committee to cover the full fee.

• Shivaraya Mallar and Yamunabai - This scholarship is awarded to one of the girl students pursuing B.A.LL.B (Hons) who is economically backward. The Scholarship will be paid out of the interest earned from an endowment of Rs. 50,000/-(Rupees fifty thousand) instituted by Prof. V.S. Mallar, former Professor and Regsitrar, NLSIU and wife Mrs. Shanti V. Mallar.

• Central Government Scholarship - The Ministry of Social Justice and Employment and Ministry of Tribal Affairs has selected NLSIU as one among the 127 top institutions in the country to extend financial assistance to SC/ST students studying in NLSIU. According to the policy laid down by the Ministry in this regard 10 (ten) SC students and 5 (five) ST students will be given financial assistance to cover the fee, boarding & lodging charges, books and stationery and the cost of computer. The selection of the students will be on the basis of inter-se ranking secured in the admission test and the level of family income.

Research Centers

• CCL - Centre for Child and the Law address's the indignities perpetrated on children. CCL has buildup a good working relationship with a number of NGOs and activists in the field both at the local and national levels. It launched a number of Campaigns like People’s Campaign for Common School System etc. and participates actively in various other Campaigns like Campaign Against Child Trafficking.

• CWL - Centre for Women & the Law in association with social activists and women’s organisations, undertakes various training programmes focusing on legal literacy for women, social auditing of welfare legislations affecting women, legal aid and assistance. Among the programmes organised by the Centre during the past years are legal literacy course for women, development of an action plan for implementation of the recommendations of the National Committee on Custodial Justice for Women Prisoners etc.

• CEERA - Centre for Environmental Education, Research and Advocacy is a multi dimensional Centre as it provides interactive and inter disciplinary teaching, it provides a foundation course in environmental law, optional seminar courses in Natural Resources and Energy Law and International Environmental Law, an optional clinical course in Environmental Advocacy, for the the students of B.A. LL.B. (Hons) along with training and capacity building in Environmental Law etc. For More info - http://www.nlsenlaw.org/about-us

• CIPRA - Centre for Intellectual Property Research and Advocacy disseminates information on intellectual property rights to create awareness amongst the masses. The Centre also conducts research in unexplored and novel areas. It also offers Post-Graduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights through Distance mode.

• CSSEIP - Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy was founded by University Grants Commission (UGC). It promotes interdisciplinary research on the varied forms of social marginality and exclusion in India. It offers courses for B.A., LL.B (Hons) and LL.M. It undertakes academic, legal and policy research with a special focus on caste, tribal and religious minorities with an active commitment to furthering democratic practices.

• NIHR - National Institute of Human Rights conducts training programmes for judicial officers in collaboration with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The Centre also offers a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Rights Law through distance education mode.

• TILEM - The Institute of Law & Ethics in Medicine is actively involved in the conduct of Continuing Legal Education workshops for the benefit of judges, consumer court presiding officers, lawyers, policy makers, medical and health professionals, para-legals, para-medicos, NGO’s, activists, the TILEM publishes half yearly journal Health Care : Policy, Law and Ethics. The Centre also offers a Post-Graduate Diploma course in Medical Law & Ethics through distance education mode.

• NIADR - National Institute for Alternate Disputes Resolution has been teaching Alternate Dispute Resolution Methods for its under-graduate students as a compulsory course. At present the Institute is offering a Seminar course in Negotiation, Conciliation and Arbitration. The Institute is in the process of starting a Post-Graduate Diploma Course in Alternate Dispute Resolution.

• COP - Centre for Outreach Programmes organises a number of Training / Interaction Programmes for Industry and Services like Indian Administrative Services, Indian Police Service, Indian Postal Service, Insurance Sector, Banking Sector, etc. These programmes are sponsored by the respective Departments of the Central Government and Industry. The programmes are held in the training centre on campus which has boarding and lodging facility together with state-of-the-art.

• IBA-CLE - International Bar Association- Continuing Legal Education Centre is involved in a variety of para legal and public legal education programme. It also undertakes conduct of Continuing Legal Education Programmes on agreed terms.

Student Exchange Program - The University has entered into MoU with selected Law Schools and Universities abroad. Apart from the MoUs, the NLSIU has been sending the B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) students to various Law Schools in the USA , UK and Germany as Exchange Students depending upon the opportunities available from. Candidates from the fourth and final years of B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) as well as LL.M. candidates are eligible to apply for the Exchange Programme for recommendation by the NLSIU. Interested candidates may submit their application or letter of intent to the Chairperson, Under-Graduate Council. A Student Exchange Committee, consisting of the Chairperson of the Under-Graduate Council and Chairman of the Post-graduate Council will select the candidates for the Exchange Programmes abroad and make necessary recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor. On approval by the Vice-Chancellor, the successful candidates shall be placed with the foreign Law Schools / Universities to which they may be assigned.

Some of the Universities with which NLSIU has Student Exchange Programmes:

1. University of Colonge, Germany.
2. Kunglia Tekniska Hogskolan(Royal Institute of Technology) Stockholm, Sweden.
3. International University College of Turin Torino.    
4. Georgetown University Law Cent Re, Washington DC.    
5. Singapore Management University, Singapore.    
6. The Second University of Naples, Italy.
7. Deakin University, Australia.

Sports Facilities -  The School has a basketball court, a volley ball/throw ball court, a tennis court on the campus and indoor facilities for table tennis in the Halls of Residence. The Sports Authority of India and the Yoga Centre of the Bangalore University are located within a radius of one kilometre.

Health Centre - The School has a small health centre on its premises with an experienced doctor serving as consultant available daily at designated hours. The health centre has a full time residential qualified Nurse. The health centre takes care of immediate needs and is equipped with beds and quarantine cubicles with in-patient facilities. There are several full-fledged private hospitals in Vijayanagar within 3 kms from the NLS campus. Now a full fledged Private Hospital has come up next to the Law School compound.

Canteen - There is a canteen in the Academic Block which is open from 9.30 A.M. to midnight . One can find soft drinks, snacks, as well as regular meals. Another popular student eatery is the Just Food, the Cafeteria attached to the training centre. It serves highly subsidized meals for lunch and dinner.

Gymnasium - A new fitness centre and Gym facilities with state of the art equipment was inaugurated. Arrangements have been made with the Sports Authority of India complex nearby for use of their facilities.

Bank Facilities - The University accounts are with the Corporation Bank which has a branch on Campus functioning six days a week. The Corporation Bank also provides ATM facilities at Chandra Layout to students who have an account with them. There is also a branch of the SBI with ATM about 5 minutes walk from the campus where many students have accounts. Other Banks like ICICI, UTI, HDFC and Citibank have ATM counters in Vijayanagar which is 3 kms from the Law School.

Student Placement Training - The Law School has a unique and innovative curriculum in which Practical Training occupies an important place. Practical training attempts to expose the students to different aspects of legal work in lawyer's chambers, courts, administrative offices, quasi-judicial establishments, prosecution departments, police and correctional institutions, commercial corporate establishments, government law offices, legal aid centres, legislative secretariats, etc. Placement Training also aims to teach professional skills, essential aspects of professional ethics and social responsibility issues and management of challenging situations in practical and professional life. It further provides opportunities for public service, developing useful professional contacts and for relating theoretical knowledge obtained in the library and the classrooms to social realities.

Procedure for Placement

• On or before August 15 each year, the students are supposed to make an application, in the form prescribed, for Placement during January-March the next year and submit the same to the Placement Officer.

• She/He will correspond with Advocates, Judges, Law Officers, companies and other establishments of law to get their willingness to accept the candidates on placement.

• On receipt of their willingness, the candidates concerned will be informed to prepare for undertaking the assignment. During the first and second years, the placement is optional and will be with NGOs.

• During the third year placement with trial lawyers, during the fourth year with appellate lawyers and during the final year with law firms and others is compulsory.

• Early in January all placement candidates will be given an orientation on the work to be done, procedure to be followed, records to be kept, reports to be written and the standard of respect, loyalty and professionalism to be maintained while under training with various organizations. They have to maintain a diary and on their return in March, a viva-voce is conducted to help evaluate the work done during past 6 weeks.

Career Guidance Scheme

• Career guidance is done in the IVth & Vth year by inviting people from various areas of legal practice including law firms.

• The students are provided with the opportunity for being selected by professional seniors as well as reputed law firms and companies. For this purpose, the RCC is constituted by the IV year students by a student recruitment programme every year.

LeGala - LeGala is Law School's annual inter-collegiate lit n' cul fest, which was started in 1996. It attracts participation from colleges all over Bangalore as well as out-station teams for events like quizzing, music, theatre and dance.

Spiritus - Spiritus is an annual sports festival that draws participation from law colleges all over India . Hosted by the Sports Committee of the SBA in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Spiritus sees fierce competition in disciplines such as football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, badminton and tennis among others.

Consilience - Consilience is an annual conference on law and technology issues, organised by the Law and Technology Committee of the SBA. The primary endeavour of the conference is to address the needs and concerns of industry stakeholders, focusing on the practical rather than a theoretical analysis of issues.

Alumni - The 1000-strong alumni community is making waves not only in India but also on foreign shores. The association provide financial assistance, assistance in organising and judging moot courts, client counselling competitions and debates. It also helps by way of academic input to present students. These not only take the form of guest lectures and one-credit courses, but also career guidance talks and internship programmes. Several NLS alumni have even chosen to come back to campus to engage full-time courses over lucrative job opportunities.

To know more about the current activities of the Alumni Association, contact the undersigned.

C. K. Nandakumar,
Class of 2001.
President, Alumni Association of NLSIU.

Achievements

• NLSIU, Bangalore Wins Manfred Lachs International Space Moot Court Competition, 2009 held at Daejon, South Korea on 15th October, 2009. Abhimanyu George Jai, Raeesa Vakil and Shwetank Ginodia put back all the 40 participating Teams across all three regions.

• Parag Sayta (4th year) and Vikas N.M (4th year) represented NLSIU at the ICC International Mediation Competition organised by the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris between February 15-19, 2007. The team did exceedingly well and finished runners-up in this prestigious competition.

• Students from the NLSIU have won as many as eleven Rhodes Scholarships for study at Oxford over the last seven years.

• There are other scholarships that the Law School students claim almost every year, namely, the Radhakrishnan, the Global Hauser fellowship and the British Chevening scholarships.

The following four students have received "Microsoft Scholarship" of Rs. 80,000/- each:

1. Ankit Goel V Year.
2. Bhabhna Das V Year.
3. Shantanu Naravane V Year.
4. Vrinda Maheshwari V Year.

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Information compiled from: National Law School of India University - NLSIU Bangalore Website