Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has announced plans to establish a dedicated coaching institution and campus in Bengaluru for candidates preparing for judicial service examinations, with the proposal expected to be placed before the state Cabinet for formal clearance.
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 proposed campus would be spread across 15 to 20 acres on the Racecourse premises and would be developed as a model building.
The Chief Minister said the institution would support young lawyers preparing for judicial service examinations. Drawing a comparison with existing institutions for civil and police service aspirants, he said Karnataka needed a similar specialised facility for the judiciary.
“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. “UPSC, IPS, and all these police services have institutions where candidates can educate themselves. But we need the same for the judiciary as well.”
The proposed facility would add a new academic and institutional use to the Racecourse premises in central Bengaluru. However, the announcement did not specify the project’s estimated cost, implementing department, construction timeline, admission structure, or the number of candidates it would accommodate. Those details would have to emerge through the formal approval and implementation process.
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 projects represent an additional expansion of the university’s physical infrastructure, although the source report did not provide their construction cost or completion schedule.
Addressing graduating students, Shivakumar linked the proposed judicial preparation institution to the wider functioning of constitutional democracy. He said a strong democracy was one in which citizens had the freedom to question the government and stressed the need for lawyers with integrity, compassion and courage.
“Democracies are being tested. Institutions are under great pressure. We need young people who question, debate, challenge ideas, and offer solutions,” he said, while asking students to take responsibility for finding answers to the issues they raise.
The Chief Minister also described legal professionals as custodians of constitutional morality and said lawyers and policymakers carried a special responsibility as guardians of the Constitution. The proposed campus, however, remains an announced plan until it receives formal clearance from the state Cabinet. The next stated milestone is consideration of the proposal at an upcoming Cabinet meeting.
