Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has announced a proposed judicial coaching institute and dedicated campus for judicial service aspirants in Bengaluru, with the facility planned across 15 to 20 acres at the Racecourse premises. The proposal is scheduled to be taken up for formal clearance at an upcoming state Cabinet meeting.
Shivakumar made the announcement while addressing the 34th annual convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru on Saturday. He said the state wanted to create an institution that would help young lawyers prepare for the judicial service examination and develop professionally.
“Today, I am very proud to announce that Karnataka will set up a dedicated law college for the judicial service examination, with a coaching institution for young aspirants,” Shivakumar said. He compared the proposed facility with institutions supporting candidates preparing for the UPSC, IPS and other police services examinations.
The Chief Minister said the proposed campus would be a model building and would be located on the Racecourse premises. The announcement, however, remains subject to the state Cabinet’s formal clearance. No construction timeline, project cost, implementing agency or admission framework was announced in the material available.
The proposal was announced during an event focused on legal education and constitutional institutions. Shivakumar told graduating students that a strong democracy depended on citizens having the freedom to question the government and called on legal professionals to act as custodians of constitutional morality.
“India does not simply need more lawyers. We need lawyers with integrity, compassion, and courage,” he said, adding that lawyers and policymakers carried a special responsibility as guardians of the Constitution.
Earlier in the day, Shivakumar, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru laid the foundation stone for NLSIU’s South Block, auditorium and student centre. The announcement of the proposed judicial coaching campus and the foundation ceremony together place legal education infrastructure at the centre of the state’s latest public institutional initiatives in Bengaluru.
The next formal step is the state Cabinet’s consideration of the proposal. Details on the land allotment, construction schedule, funding and operating structure will depend on that clearance.
