Ganga Singh Law College in Chhapra. Telegraph picture

Chhapra, May 31: Ganga Singh Law College (GSLC) here has moulded the future of thousands of students, many of whom earn their living as advocates, judicial officers and even judges but its own future is teetering on the brink of uncertainty.

Among its alumni is Vibhu Shankar Mishra, the nephew of ex-high court Chief Justice Prabha Shankar Mishra who was recently elected the treasurer of Supreme Court Bar Council.

However, for the past eight months, the college has been awaiting the recommendation of the Bar Council of India for taking admissions and arranging classes. Following inspection, the requisite money of Rs 2 lakh was deposited.

Initially started as a law college in 1964, the lone law institution under Jai Prakash University (JP) lagged behind and later on, arts and science faculties were added. It came to be known as Ganga Singh College where law classes were held in the evening. Advocates taught here part time. Full-fledged teachers with LLM and PhD degrees were never appointed.

At present, Jai Ram Singh, a teacher of chemistry, is the acting principal because he holds an additional LLB degree. Four advocates of Chhapra civil court Arvind Kumar, Rajeshwar Prasad Singh, Manjoor Ahmad and Debdas Chakrobarty teach students at a remuneration of Rs 150 per class.

Of these three, only Arvind Kumar holds an LLM degree. The requisite qualification for a law college principal is LLM and PhD degrees with 15 years’ experience. The principal told The Telegraph that the art and the science sections were opened in 1971. In 2000, the Bar Council of India directed to segregate the law faculty with independent existence.

It directed JP University to appoint lecturers and principal after advertising for the posts. But nothing was carried out. Had eligible teachers had been appointed, it would have functioned smoothly. But probably owing to some misinterpretation of the directives of the Bar Council of India, it did not abide by the directive.

The principal elaborated: “Rather in 2003, the senate, the syndicate and the academic council of Jai Prakash University decided that the independent law college will be run out of the same buil- ding that housed Ganga Singh College. Things turned awry since then.” After the Bar Council of India inspected the college in 2004, it did not allow it to function for four years, between 2005 and 2008.

Again towards the end of 2008, the council gave permission for two sessions to be run between 2008 and 2010. “This term has expired and we have applied for fresh recommendation by depositing Rs 2 lakh eight months ago but the council has not given its assent as yet,” the principal said.

Meanwhile, Ganga Singh College principal K.P. Srivastav said: “The directives of the Bar Council of India were not carried out and in spite of creating an independent existence of the law faculty, the university decided to start an independent law college and the problems followed. The university appears to be at fault for this state of affairs.”