In an attempt to ease the pressure on students, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has released a circular, urging law universities and colleges to frame alternative and optional schemes for the payment of fees through equal monthly instalments. Students pursuing law courses have raised grievances regarding the payment of fees, given the financial crisis they are facing amidst the pandemic.
In the circular, the BCI stated, "In the light of the extreme crisis that has risen due to the pandemic, we request all the centers of legal education to be considerate and compassionate to the hardships faced by students. All centers should give ample scope to the students to pay annual or semester fees in easy instalments instead of in one lump sum amount."
This advisory has been issued as several law students cited increased costs in the online mode of education, including Internet and computers. Bhumesh Madan, a law student said, "My parents have been facing pay cuts for the last three months. I have taken up a part-time online job to fund my studies. I request the college to allow us to pay fees in monthly instalments considering our financial difficulties."
Also, students stated that cut off dates for the payment of certain fees have been fixed and they might be debarred from online classes if they fail to stick to these deadlines. Zubeda Malik, another law student said, "I understand, I have to pay my due course fees to access regular online classes. But considering the ongoing crisis, the deadlines for payment of fees should be relaxed."
