Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, Delhi

The University of Delhi, popularly known as DU is a central university located in New Delhi. It was founded back in 1922, though some of the colleges affiliated to it, predate the formation of the university itself. Its constituent colleges are now spread-out all over Delhi. In terms of the number of students enrolled at the various levels, the list of affiliated colleges, the number of courses on offer and the people employed, DU is the largest university in India. It is also one of the largest in the world. DU serves a total of sixteen faculties, divided into eighty- six departments across seventy- seven constituent colleges and five more institutions attached to it. This is done from the two main campuses- North and South. 

The Faculty of Law is the main legal education wing of the University of Delhi, founded back in 1924. This institution can in many ways be considered the pioneer in legal education in the country. The three- year graduation programme was first implemented by them, but now universally followed in India. But unlike other graduation programmes, for entry to this programme, a prior graduation in any stream is compulsory. This is also unlike the NLUs where entry is immediately post their schooling for a five- year integrated programme. Admission to both the three- year LLB and the two- year LLM is through an entrance exam conducted by the university. The entrance exam poses objective- type questions on English, Quantitative Skills, Logical Reasoning, General Knowledge and Legal Aptitude. From the third year onwards, students may take up specializations depending on the electives on offer. Classes take place across three campuses, all within Delhi itself. It is the largest law fraternity in India, with the maximum number of students enrolled, and an equally high proportion of staff and faculty involved. 

Students here need to abide by the rules set by the Bar Council of India (BCI), in order to gain entry into the legal profession. The Faculty of Law- DU was also among the first in the country to start training using the case- based method. Thus, casebooks have been developed by the faculty here. There are several publications as well that originate from here. The oldest of the extant ones is the Delhi Law Review (DLR), founded back in 1978. A student edition for the same also exists. Its online edition was first released during the 2016-17 academic session. It is a peer- reviewed journal. Another is the Journal of the Campus Law Journal (JCLC), this founded in 2013. The National Capital Law Journal was begun in 1996. Another journal exists primarily for legal teacher training. This one is called the Journal of Law Teachers of India (JOLT-I), started in 2010. 

Several major events are held each year at the Faculty of Law- DU, anchored by the students themselves. Several Moot Court contests are held to test the oratory skills and legal knowledge of the budding lawyers, with participation from all over Delhi and even outside. Small- time legal services are also provided by the existing students here. Other fun activities also take place to engage the vast student community here. A fairly adequate hostel is also available for the students. Many of the though take up PG accommodations which are easily available near the campuses. 

Due to the history attached to this institution, the alumni list is incredibly rich. Some of the top judges, lawyers, civil servants and political figures have emerged from the campuses. To cite one name, is the 46^th Chief Justice of India- Mr. Ranjan Gogoi. Another is Ms. Indu Malhotra, who became the first female judge to be parachuted straight from the Bar Council to the Supreme Court. Yet another is Solicitor- General of India- Mr. Rohinton Nariman. Kiran Bedi was the first female IPS (Indian Police Service) officer. Among political figures, one can cite Mr. Ajit Jogi, former Chief Minister of the state of Chhattisgarh. Another Chief Minister is Haryana’s Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Then there is the Union Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley. Former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Ms. Meira Kumar has also been a student here. Two more former Chief Justices of India- CJI Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal and CJI Madan Mohan Puncchi- have also been ex- students here. Several other prominent names may be quoted among the alumni. 

All this and much more has helped this institute be consistently ranked high up across ranking platforms. The Careers 360 magazine has placed it as the 24^th best all India among law colleges. The Week magazine honoured it with rank 3 within the category of law colleges. Placements have also similarly kept pace. Recruiters include law firms, international agencies, NGOs and even corporates. Some of the top recruiters in recent seasons includes the likes of – AZB & Partners, Khaitan & Co., Amarchand Mangaldas, EY, PwC, Wipro and several others.