By team abhyaspeeth 
Abhyaspeeth Desk
Mumbai: In a major action aimed at maintaining academic quality, Mumbai University has barred 40 out of 74 affiliated law colleges from participating in the upcoming admission cycle for the 2025 academic year. The decision was taken after these colleges failed to appoint full-time principals and approved teaching staff, which is a mandatory requirement as per university norms. As a result, the university has not only imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh on each defaulting institution but has also refused to issue the No Objection Certificate (NOC) required for registration under the State CET Cell admission process.
The crackdown comes after a surprise inspection drive conducted by a university-appointed committee, which revealed that several colleges were running entirely on the strength of temporary and contract-based faculty. In some institutions, there was no full-time principal or even a single qualified professor on permanent staff. This raised serious questions about the academic environment being offered to law students, despite the colleges charging substantial tuition fees. The inspection also found that many colleges lacked basic infrastructure like libraries, moot court halls, and digital classrooms, directly affecting the quality of legal education.
The impact of this decision is significant. With the removal of these colleges from the admission process, more than 4,000 seats in three-year and five-year law programs across the state are expected to be reduced. The CET Cell had earlier set May 30 as the last date for colleges to complete their registration, but due to widespread non-compliance, the deadline was extended to June 2. However, without the NOC and sanctioned intake letter from the university, these 40 colleges cannot participate in the centralized admission process this year.
University officials confirmed that these institutions have been given a 10-day window to pay the imposed fine. If the amount is not paid within the stipulated time, a monthly interest of 1.5% will be levied. Furthermore, the intake capacity of these colleges has been officially declared as zero, meaning they cannot admit any new students in the current academic cycle.
Student activists have raised concerns over the issue, questioning how such colleges received approval in the first place. Advocate Sachin Pawar, a well-known figure in student rights movements, has demanded blanket action across all non-compliant colleges. He pointed out that if more colleges are found operating without full-time staff, the university should act without exception and ensure transparency in its affiliation and inspection processes.
The development has sent shockwaves across the student community, particularly among CET aspirants who are now urged to carefully verify the list of eligible colleges before applying. The CET Cell is expected to release an updated list of participating colleges along with their approved intake soon.
This move by Mumbai University marks a critical step toward restoring academic credibility in the field of legal education. With legal professionals playing a vital role in upholding justice, the institutions that train them must themselves be held to the highest standards of quality and accountability.