The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed National Law Universities and private law colleges across the country to incorporate the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita into their academic curriculum. The directive was issued through an official notification following recommendations made during the Directors General and Inspectors General of Police Conference 2025 held between November 28 and November 30, 2025.
According to the UGC notice, the recommendations emphasised the need for National Law Universities (NLUs) and other premier legal education institutions to study the impact of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on India’s justice delivery system and analyse how the new legal framework has transformed criminal justice administration in the country.
The commission stated that educational institutions should focus on examining the advantages of the new criminal law structure, particularly its emphasis on forensic investigation and modern investigative practices. Universities have been encouraged to document India’s transition towards greater use of forensic science and technology in criminal investigations and judicial procedures.
“The National Law Universities and other premier legal educational institutions should study the benefits of Nyaya Sanhita in bringing about a paradigm shift in the justice delivery system and its emphasis on use of forensics,” the UGC said in its official communication.
The commission further directed universities and law colleges to prepare case studies highlighting India’s shift towards forensic-based investigation methods under the new criminal laws. These studies are expected to later become part of university curricula to strengthen practical and research-oriented legal education.
As part of the directive, Higher Education Institutions offering law programmes have been asked to initiate academic studies and research projects focusing on reforms introduced in the justice delivery system under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Institutions have also been instructed to integrate relevant findings and learning modules into their legal education programmes.
UGC has additionally asked Higher Education Institutions to take “appropriate measures” for implementing the recommendations and submit updates regarding compliance and progress made in incorporating the new legal framework into academic courses.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita came into effect on July 1, 2024, replacing the colonial-era Indian Penal Code. Along with BNS, the government also implemented the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam as part of a major overhaul of India’s criminal justice system.
The latest UGC directive is expected to encourage law schools to adopt more practical and research-driven approaches to legal education.
The development is also being viewed as an effort to align legal education with contemporary reforms in India’s justice delivery system while preparing future legal professionals for technologically advanced and evidence-based criminal law practices.