HC asks Centre to respond to plea challenging educational requirement for legal researchers

The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre's response on a plea challenging a government advertisement for inviting applications from only those law graduates who have completed a five-year integrated bachelor's degree for being appointment as legal research associates on contract basis.

The petition claimed that restricting applications only to those graduates who have done a five-year course is arbitrary and unreasonable amounting to hostile discrimination against those candidates who have done a three-year degree course from a recognised university.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru issued notice to the Ministry of Law and Justice and Bar Council of India on the petition and said prima facie the challenge in this plea is merited as both the qualifications are of equivalent value.

Petitioner Akash Verma, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, challenged the ministry's May 28 advertisement inviting applications from law graduates in Law as Legal Research Associates on contract basis