Punjab University Law College

Summary

Punjab University Law College (PULC) is a Public Sector Law College of University of the Punjab, Canal Road (Quaid e Azam) Campus, Lahore. It is the oldest law institute in Pakistan which was established in 1868 (14 years before Punjab University itself) .[1] It was the first institute offering legal education to be established in a Muslim majority area of the Subcontinent. Since then, it has produced some of the most prominent lawyers, activists, statesmen, judges, bureaucrats and politicians. Today, the institute is known for its rich history, high quality education and renowned Alumni.

Punjab University Law College
یونیورسٹی لاء کالج
Latin: "Collegium Iuris Universitatis"
Other name
PULC
Former name
University Law College
TypePublic
Established1868 (155 years old)
FounderAnjuman e Punjab
Parent institution
University of the Punjab
AffiliationPakistan Bar Council(PBC)Higher Education Commission(HEC)Association of Commonwealth Universities(ACU)
ChancellorMuhammad Baligh Ur Rehman
Vice-ChancellorDr. Khalid Mehmood
PrincipalDr. Shazia Qureshi
DeanDr. Amanullah
Address
Canal Bank Rd, PU - Quaid-i-Azam Campus
, , ,
ColorsBlue   & White  
MascotPULCians
Websitewww.pulc.edu.pk

After being founded in 1868 under the auspices of the literary club Anjuman e Punjab, the college became a constituent part of the University of the Punjab in 1870.[2][3]

History edit

Anjuman I Punjab (1865) edit

University Law College was established by the Anjuman I Punjab in 1868. Anjuman-I-Punjab was a literary club founded in Lahore on 21 January 1865 by Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner[4] who was a renowned British linguistic and orientalist. He also later, became the first registrar of University of the Punjab.[5] The society aimed at the development of Vernacular Literature. Meetings were held by the Anjuman for the literary, social and scientific interests of people. Oriental College and University Law College were also established by the Anjuman which became part of Punjab University College, now known as University of the Punjab[6]

Pre-partition (1868–1947) edit

The college's original course of study was two years long and offered both in English and the vernacular language. No examinations were administered, because admittance to the practice of law was governed solely by examinations administered by the Punjab Chief Court.[2]

In 1873, the court's rules changed to require candidates for the bar to have passed university entrance examinations and the college introduced examinations.[2] In 1887, passing of intermediate exams and having minimum three-fourth attendance in the law college was made mandatory for giving the Law/Bar exams. In 1890, Government of India imposed new rules. It empowered the college to confer LL.B and LL.D degrees and in order to give the LL.B examinations and obtain the license to practice law, it was necessary for the students to have passed in intermediate and to graduate in any arts degree.

In 1935 the college increased the span of LL.B program from two years to three years however after the partition the regulation were again revised and on the orders of the Government of Pakistan and the Supreme Court of Pakistan the degree program was again reduced to two years.

Post-partition edit

In 1948 the LL.B degree program was of two years. In 1964 however, under the directions of the High court of West Pakistan, the LL.B professional degree was extended to three years and in the same year, the college started to offer two Law courses at a time; B.L (Bachelor in law) a degree of two years and LL.B (Legum Baccalaureus) the traditional three year degree.[7]

In 1966 the B.L degree was cancelled and the LL.B degree was again converted to a two years degree program. However, in 1992–1993 the 3 years LL.B program was reintroduced, this time, under the pattern of the Law of UK (Common Law) [8]

College campus edit

The main building of the college was initially located at katchery road [9] known as Allama Iqbal Campus[10] (Old Campus) near Oriental College and Government College, Lahore. However, in 1978 due to lack of proper space and in order the expand the college, it was shifted to its present premises at Quaid e Azam Campus[11] (New Campus) along with Hailey College of Commerce and other important departments.

Current standing edit

Today the Law College is one of the Highest Ranked Law institutes in Pakistan. The merit of Law College is extremely high while the acceptance rate is extremely low. Due to its incredibly low fee and many facilities for students, it is the most preferred Law college for law aspirants in Pakistan.[12]

Although initially of three years the degree was extended to five years for an LLB beginning in 2016 under the Pakistan Bar Council Legal Education Rules, 2015.[13] The degree of LL.B three years was changed to an integrated-five years BA.LLB. It was done to limit the massively increasing lawyers in Pakistan and to offer professional legal education to the Law students.[14]

As of 2013, the college had approximately 1,600 students.[2] The college now offers B.A LL.B (5 years) in Annual system and B.A LL.B (Hons) in semester system and has total number of seats of 200. Out of which 100 are on-merit and 100 are of self-finance.[15]

Programs edit

B.A. LL.B. edit

The B.A LL.B program is a 5-year integrated B.A and LL.B program which is divided in two phases 1) the B.A phase and 2) the LLB phase. In the first two years, students study basic B.A subjects like Poetical Science, Sociology, Pakistan history, Islamic studies, English and introductory subjects of law. While in the next the years, the subjects are specialized into Law-elated subjects for example: Civil Law, Criminal Procedure Code (CPC/CRPC), Cyber Laws, Corporate Law, Company Law, Constitutional Law (Pakistani, US and British), Environmental Law, Property Laws, Law of Equity, Law of Torts e.t.c

LL.M. edit

From 1981- 82, regular LL.M. classes were also introduced and now LL.M, a two years research program is being offered during morning as well as evening hours. The LL.M program is controlled by the Postgraduate School of Legal Studies.[16] The following subjects are being offered to LL.M part 1 and 2 students: Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Law of evidence, International Economic Law e.t.c. This research oriented LL.M. program requires six days a week of library work, seminars, lectures and tutorials.[17]

LL.D. edit

The LL.D degree was offered by PULC in 1890. It was renamed Ph.D. in law in 1986 Since then only three people have been awarded with the Ph.D. in Law(LL.D) degree.[18]

PG Diplomas of Law edit

The Postgraduate School of Legal Studies also offers a number of different postgraduate diplomas (mostly in evening). They are designed both for Law students and non-law students who want to gain legal knowledge but are not Lawyers/Law students. The diplomas include: Diploma in Taxation law, Corporate law, International Trade law (WTO), Forensic law and many more.[19]

Admissions edit

Getting admission in every program in PULC is challenging and depends purely on merit. Due to the surprisingly low fee and exceptional facilities, it is the top priority for students who want to pursue law as a career.

  1. Getting admission in LL.B requires hard work and dedication. Students have to pass their matriculation and intermediate with exceptional marks. Then students have to pass the Law Admission Test (LAT) conducted by the HEC under regulations of PBC. After LAT, the students appear in the PU-admission test (USAT). After passing through all these phases, the merit list is displayed and the deserving students are awarded admissions.[20]
  2. Admission in LL.M is even harder then LL.B because the students have to pass the LL.M entry test, the Graduate Admission Test conducted by PBC and then appear for an interview. After testing their skills, knowledge and dedication, they are admitted in the Masters Program.[21]

Facilities edit

Library edit

The Law College Library is well known for its extensive collection of law books and journals. The collection is regularly updated in accordance with the modifications in the country's laws and the constitutional amendments. Online law resources like WestLaw, Pakistanlawsite, JSTOR, etc., are also available.

IT Facility edit

Students can have complete access to online law resources through the computers placed in the library. The computers are available for open research and can even be reserved for solitary research.

Moot Room edit

In order to train the students for litigation and for future role as lawyers, the college conducts regular moot workshops, exercises and competitions which are managed and organised by the Law Moot Society. For this purpose a separate moot room is available as per the regulations of PBC. The historic moot room of PULC has a rich and vibrant history. Many great lawyers and judges have been trained here.

Dr. Parvez Hassan Environmental Law Centre (PHELC) edit

The Environmental Law Centre was established by the famous lawyer and environmentalist, Dr. Parvez Hassan[22] (who is also the alumni of PULC), in order to improve the standard of the college, so, is also named after him. It consists of the Environmental Hall (also known as Begum Razia Hassan Auditorium), lecture halls, conference rooms, offices and embellished lawns. The centre has now become somewhat the recognition of PULC.[23]

Edhi Hall edit

Edhi hall is the oldest hall of PULC and used to be the main place for organising events and competitions until the Environmental Hall was constructed. The Edhi hall is named after the renowned Abdul Sattar Edhi[24](A social worker and human rights activist). The hall still holds a special importance in the affairs of PULC.

Student societies and clubs edit

Student societies and clubs in PULC, are managed by PULS (Punjab University Law Societies) [25] These include official, semi official and student-created clubs)

  1. Al-Meezan Society
  2. PULC Law Moot Society [26]
  3. PULC Debating Society [27]
  4. PULC Literary Society [27]
  5. KHAAB PULC – Media Arts Society [28]
  6. The Thespians Society [29] (Dramatics Society PULC)
  7. Character Building Society
  8. Quran and Naat Society
  9. Gazette Society
  10. ADR – Clinic [30] (Alternate Dispute Resolutions)

Buildings gallery edit

Alumni edit

Lawyers and activists edit

Abid Hassan Minto[31] (Former president of National Awami league)

S.M. Zafar (President, Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association 1979, Chairman Human Rights Society of Pakistan & Cultural Association of Pakistan, Chancellor of Hamdard University)

Asma Jahangir (Human rights activist, co-founded Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, United Nations prize in the field of Human rights (2018), Hilal-i-Imitiaz (2010), Nishan-e-Imtiaz (2018))

Jawahar Lal Kaul (Indian Lawyer and Law Professor, Vice Chancellor of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Visiting Fellow at University of St. Thomas School of Law since 2014)

Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig (Supreme Court Lawyer, Prominent Lawyer in 2007 Lawyer's Movement)

Akram Sheikh (President Supreme Court Bar Association, CEC of Pakistan Bar Council 1993–1994)

Hamid Khan (Vice-president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Legal Writer and Scholar, President Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan)

Ali Ahmad Kurd (President Supreme Court Bar Association, Important figure in Lawyer's movement 2007)

Dr. Parvez Hassan (Environmental Lawyer, LLM - Harvard, Climate Activist, Founder of PHELC-PULC)

Khizr Khan (US Supreme Court Lawyer, Presidential Medal of Freedom 2022, Commissioner of US-CIRF, LLM from Harvard Law School )

Swami Shraddhanand[32] (Indian Lawyer, Hindu Guru and Arya Samaj Activist)

M. D. Tahir (Prominent Senior Lawyer, Human Rights Activist)

Shahla Zia (Women rights activist, prominent lawyer)

A.K. Dogar (Senior Advocate of Supreme Court)

Mowahid Hussain Shah (Pakistani and US Lawyer, co-founder of PTI)

Barrister Dr Abdul Basit (Senior Lawyer, Kashmiri Nationalist)

Sabahat Rizvi (1st Female Secretary of Lahore Bar Association, Women Rights Activist)

Supreme Court judges edit

High Court judges edit

Attorneys generals edit

Advocates general edit

Actors and TV personalities edit

Religious leaders edit

Prime Ministers edit

Presidents edit

Governors edit

Ministers edit

Law Enforcement edit

Faculty edit

(Most of the prominent Faculty of PULC is from the alumni which are not mentioned)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "PULC University Law College [Home]". www.pulc.edu.pk. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "PU Law College turns 144 years old". Balochistan Times. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  3. ^ Miglani, Neha (10 February 2013). "Panjab University's birth in world of words". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner Remembered for His Academic Contributions | Archives and Libraries Wing". alw.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  5. ^ Liaqat Ali Vance (8 March 2013), 7C1A3802, retrieved 10 August 2023
  6. ^ "ANJUMAN-I-PANJAB - The Sikh Encyclopedia". 19 December 2000. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  7. ^ Hussain, Advocate Sadiq. "Punjab University Law College". Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  8. ^ Siddique, Osama (2014). "Legal Education in Pakistan: The Domination of Practitioners and the "Critically Endangered" Academic". Journal of Legal Education. 63 (3): 499–511. ISSN 0022-2208. JSTOR 42898394.
  9. ^ "Punjab University Old Campus Departments - 2023 2024 EduVark". eduvark.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  10. ^ "University of the Punjab - Allama-Iqbal". campus.allama-iqbal.pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  11. ^ "University of the Punjab - Quaid-e-Azam". pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  12. ^ Shahbaz, Syed Arslan (13 May 2022). "Top 10 Best Law Colleges In Lahore (2023) | Ilmibook". Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  13. ^ Sheikh, Ammar (28 July 2016). "New rules: PU to start 5-year LLB degree programmes". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Pakistan Bar Council Legal Education Rules 2015 - A Legal Critique". Courting The Law. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  15. ^ "University Law College [ Admission Policies ]". www.pulc.edu.pk. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  16. ^ "University of the Punjab - Law". pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  17. ^ "University of the Punjab - University Law College (PU)". llm-guide.com. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  18. ^ "University of the Punjab - All Programs". pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  19. ^ "University of the Punjab - All Programs". pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  20. ^ "University of the Punjab - Quaid-e-Azam- Law - LLB 05-Yrs Self Supporting (Afternoon) Program (Annual System)". pu.edu.pk. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  21. ^ "PU LLM 2023 - Result (Out), Exam Date, Application Form, Eligibility, Syllabus & Exam Pattern". Careers360. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  22. ^ "Parvez Hassan". International Growth Centre. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  23. ^ "Dr. Parvez Hassan | SAHSOL". sahsol.lums.edu.pk. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  24. ^ "Edhi Welfare Organization – Serving Humanity in the Spirit of All Religions". Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Punjab University Law College - Societies". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  26. ^ "PULC Law Moot Society". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  27. ^ a b "PULC Literary Society". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  28. ^ "Khaab-PU Media Arts Society". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  29. ^ "The Thespians Society". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  30. ^ "Young Mediator's Forum - YMF". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Abid Hassan Minto - biography and personal life". Profiles of Famous Pakistanis. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  32. ^ "Swami Shraddhanand". INDIAN CULTURE. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Afzal Ahsan Randhawa – Punjabi Poetry". Folk Punjab. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  34. ^ "National Assembly of Pakistan". na.gov.pk. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  35. ^ "Gurdial Singh Dhillon". www.wikidata.org. Retrieved 9 August 2023.

External links edit

  • Official website