NATIONAL LAW SCHOOL OF INDIA UNIVERSITY

BANGALORE

NOTICE FOR ADMISSIONS TO THE POSTGRADUATE LL.M PROGRAMME, 2020

1. BACKGROUND
The National Law School of India University was established in 1986 to pioneer legal education
reform and anchor the transformation of the Indian legal system through research and policy
interventions. We are dedicated to the realization of core constitutional values through a vital
democracy committed to freedom and social justice. The University rests on a unique
collaboration between legal academics, the Bar, the Bench and the State Government of
Karnataka. This strong coalition has ensured that the University has remained the undoubted
leader in legal education in India for the last three decades.

2. ONE-YEAR LL.M (MASTER OF LAWS) PROGRAMME

Like the B.A., LL.B (Hons) programme, the LL.M. programme is organized around three
trimesters in every academic year. Students will complete the UGC mandated 3 Core Courses
and then complete 2 Core Courses in each specialization. Students may choose from a wide array
of electives and seminars besides writing a mandatory dissertation in their third and last trimester.

NLSIU offers the LL.M. Degree programme with two specializations:

(i) Business Law
(ii) Human Rights Law

Specialisations are based on merit-cum-preference. More information is available on our

University website, www.nls.ac.in.

3. ADMISSIONS PROCESS FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2020-21

Since inception, admission to the LL.M Degree Programme has been purely on the basis of merit
as assessed through a common entrance exam. The University conducted its own All-India
entrance examination until 2008, when the Common Law Admission Test was conceived. In
2018, the Consortium of National Law Universities comprising the Vice-Chancellors of 22
National Law Universities was formed to establish a Permanent CLAT Secretariat for the
conduction of the CLAT.

The Covid-19 pandemic has however caused unforeseen difficulties and delays in the conduct of
CLAT 2020. The repeated postponement of the examination has resulted in uncertainty for
students, parents and the participating Universities. NLSIU is uniquely disadvantaged as it
follows a trimester system where every academic year is made up of three terms of 90 days
duration. Moreover, each term must accommodate 60 hours of classroom instruction in each
course and adequately provide for examination and evaluation processes. Further, the academic

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 offering for the 3rd, 4th and 5th year of the B.A., LL.B programme as well as the LL.M
programme is fully integrated and requires a common academic calendar.

Hence, if NLSIU is unable to complete admissions before the end of September 2020 it will
inevitably result in a ‘Zero Year’ with no admissions. This will deprive law students of the
opportunity to pursue their studies this year at India’s premier law university. We are fully
committed to ensuring that no student is denied the opportunity to study at NLSIU this Academic
Year. Hence, NLSIU is compelled by the current circumstances to conduct a separate admissions
process for the B.A., LL.B and LL.M programmes for the Academic Year 2020-21.

This matter was considered at length at a Faculty Meeting at the University on August 6th, 2020
where the Faculty unanimously resolved that NLSIU needed to take all measures necessary to
avoid a ‘Zero Year.’ The Executive Council of the University, at its 91st Meeting held in two
sessions on 12th August 2020 and 18th August 2020 met to consider the matter and unanimously
resolved to authorize the University to develop an alternative admissions process in the event
that CLAT 2020 was not conducted on September 7th 2020.

On August 28th the Executive Committee of the Consortium of National Law Universities
postponed CLAT 2020 from September 7th to September 28th 2020. A Faculty Sub-Committee
was constituted to develop a revised admission procedure. The Sub-Committee considered all
available options and concluded that a common entrance test conducted online at the earliest
and with the lowest possible application fee would be a fair, transparent and accessible
admissions process. This procedure was discussed at a Faculty Meeting held on 31 st August,
2020. After taking into account the suggestions and revisions necessary, a Revised Admission
Notification for Academic Year 2020-21 is hereby notified.

4. REVISED ADMISSIONS NOTIFICATION 2020-21

The Admissions Notification outlined below governs all admissions to the LL.M (Master of
Laws) Programme of NLSIU for the year 2020-21. Any student who seeks admission to NLSIU
must apply directly to the University and complete the NLAT 2020 PG Entrance Examination.
The University will not accept CLAT 2020 scores for admission to Academic Year 2020-21.

4.1. Intake
The total intake of students shall be 50(Fifty) which includes 30 seats for Business Law and 20
seats for Human Rights Law. The Reservation Notification 2021 has been published separately
on the website.

4.2. Eligibility of Candidates

4.2.1. All candidates must have secured an LL.B. or equivalent degree from a recognized educational
institution with an unconditional pass and the minimum percentage of marks as specified below:

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 (i) Aggregate percentage of 50% or its equivalent grade in case of General Category and
PWD students.
(ii) Aggregate percentage of 45% or its equivalent grade in case of SC/ST.
4.2.2. There is no upper age limit to apply.

4.3. Application and Required Documents

4.3.1. The Online Application portal will open on 3rd September, 2020 and will close at Midnight on
10th September, 2020.
4.3.2. All applications must be submitted online at https://admissions.nls.ac.in/.
4.3.3. Applicants must register themselves using their personal mobile number. On registration, an OTP
will be sent to the given mobile number for validation. Once your mobile number is validated,
you may login using your mobile number and password provided at the time of registration.
4.3.4. Please fill the form carefully. All names should be spelt correctly in the application as it appears
in the Certificates/Mark sheets/Identity proof. Any change/alteration found may disqualify your
candidature

4.3.5. Candidates will be required to upload the following documents along with the application:
1. Candidate’s recent passport size photograph,
2. Scanned copy of an original Government issued photo-ID. E.g. Driver’s license, Aadhar
Card, Voter ID, Ration Card, Passport, etc.,
3. Scanned copy of original marks statement and pass certificate of standard 10, or
matriculation, or equivalent examination,
4. Scanned copy of original marks statement and pass certificate of 10+2 or equivalent
examination,
5. Scanned copy of original marks statement and pass certificate of LL.B or equivalent
degree,
6. Scanned copy of original caste certificate/tribe certificate/disability certificate wherever
applicable,
7. Scanned copy of documentary proof, including Letter from the Head of Institution and
School certificates/Report cards to prove schooling in Karnataka for ten years, wherever
applicable.

All scanned documents must be clear and complete. In case scanned and uploaded documents
are unclear, incomplete, or illegible, the application may be rejected. All documents will be
subjected to physical verification at the time of admission. Any discrepancy in documents
submitted will lead to automatic disqualification of the candidate.

NOTE: If candidates are unable to produce one or more of the documents listed at Serial Nos. 5.
6 and 7, they must ensure that the same are provided to NLSIU authorities at the time of
admission, failing which the candidate’s provisional offer of admission will be cancelled.

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 4.3.6. Once you have finished filling in the Application and uploading all necessary documents you
must save and submit the application.
4.3.7. After all details are filled in and documents are uploaded, candidates must sign the declaration
and submit the application. The candidates are required to read the instructions carefully and
furnish correct and authentic information. In case the information furnished at any stage of the
application, examination and admission process is found to be false or incorrect or if there is any
discrepancy or mismatch between the information furnished by the candidate at the relevant
section and the certificates/documents produced at the time of admission, the provisional
admission offered to the candidate shall stand cancelled with immediate effect without assigning
any further reason and the candidate shall stand disqualified from being considered for further
admission to NLSIU.
4.3.8. No alteration/editing in the online application form can be done after successful submission/final
submission of the form.
4.3.9. After submission you will be required to pay an Application Fee of Rs. 150 (General and PWD
Category) and Rs. 125 (for SC / ST Candidates).
4.3.10. The last date for submission of applications and making payments is 10th September, 2020.
Candidates are advised not to wait till the deadline for submission of applications but to submit
them well in time. There will be no offline application or submission of documents.

4.4. National Law Aptitude Test

4.4.1. Candidates will be selected on the basis of the aggregate marks secured in an online home-based
Entrance Examination known as the National Law Aptitude Test, 2020 (NLAT). The National
Law Aptitude Test, 2020 (the “NLAT 2020”) will test applicants for admission to the
undergraduate B.A., LL.B. (Hons) and postgraduate LL.M. programmes commencing in 2020 at
the National Law school of India University, Bengaluru (“NLSIU”) on subjects that correspond
to the subjects proposed to be tested in the Common Law Admission Test, 2020.

4.4.2. Candidates who have submitted a valid application form will be required to appear for the NLAT.
The Test shall be an online entrance examination to be held on 12th September, 2020. Candidates
will attempt this examination using a computer device at their respective locations. Candidates
will have to ensure that they can appear for the examination on the appropriate date and time
using a computer device as per the detailed specifications that will provided including video and
audio inputs. NLSIU shall not be responsible for any connectivity issues, or failure of internet
connection during the examination. NLSIU reserves the right to cancel any candidate’s
examination based on misconduct or examination malpractice.

4.4.3. Detailed instructions on the online examinations process shall be provided to the candidates in
due course.

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4.4.4. Syllabus and Guide

The NLAT 2020 PG will test candidates on the compulsory subjects of their undergraduate
programme which include Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of
Contract, Torts, Family Law, Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Public International
Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, and Labour & Industrial Law.

1. The NLAT 2020 PG will comprise 3 (three) passages that are extracts from Supreme Court
judgments in prominent cases.
2. Each passage will be accompanied by 10 (ten) questions that candidates will have to answer
based on the information in the passage, as well as their knowledge and understanding of the
case as a whole, and of related matters.
3. This means the NLAT 2020 PG will have a total of 30 (thirty) questions.

4.4.5. Question Paper Format

1. The NLAT 2020 PG shall be conducted in English.

2. The Maximum Marks for the NLAT is 60 marks.
3. All questions shall be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ).
4. The duration of the examination shall be 40 minutes.
5. Marking Scheme:
2 mark per correct answer
-0.25 marks per unanswered question
-0.50 marks per wrong answer
6. This is not an open book examination; candidates may not seek assistance from any other
person to answer the questions in the examination.
7. Candidates will only have 1 (one) attempt at each question. They will not be able to revisit a
question once they have moved on to another question.
8. Candidates may not take the assistance of any resources, whether electronic, print, or in any
other form.

4.4.6. Merit List

1. Following the examination and validation of the Final Answer Key, a General Merit list of all
candidates will be prepared solely on the basis of their marks in NLAT 2020 PG.
2. Tie-break Rule: In case of equal marks, a break of tie shall be made by the following procedure
and order:
(i) Higher number of correct answers in NLAT
(ii) Computerised draw of lots
3. All candidates will be informed of their Merit rank, aggregate marks and the aggregate mark
of the last admitted candidate in their category over email/SMS.
4. No consolidated Merit List or Admission list shall be published by the University.

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 5. OFFER OF ADMISSION AND PAYMENT OF FEES
5.1. The University shall prepare a Provisional Admissions list on the basis of the Merit List of
NLAT. SC, ST, PWD and Karnataka students will be accommodated as per the Reservation
Notification 2021 available on our website.
5.2. Selected candidates will be offered Provisional Admission to the University and intimated of the
same via email/SMS.
5.3. In order to confirm their seat, selected candidates must accept the Provisional Offer by producing
the necessary documents and paying the requisite Fees. Detailed instructions on Acceptance of
Offers will be provided by email/SMS and will have to be complied with by the candidate strictly
according to the timelines provided. In the event of any default by the candidate, the same seat
may be diverted to another candidate according to merit.

5.4. Total Annual fee (including refundable deposits) for LLM students

a) General Category and PWD - Rs. 1,89,500.00 p.a.

b) SC / ST Category - Rs. 1,86,375.00 p.a.

The fees / charges may be revised by the University, but the revised fees/charges will be applied
prospectively.

5.5. NLSIU is committed to ensure that no one who secures admission to NLSIU shall discontinue
studies on account of financial constraints. NLSIU will facilitate scholarships, educational loans
and bursaries to students to enable them to secure their admissions.
5.6. If a candidate withdraws their admission on any ground, in any of the courses of the University,
fees shall be refundable as per the applicable UGC Rules.

6. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
6.1. NLSIU reserves the right to unilaterally alter, modify, or cancel any component or stage of the
selection process without prior notice.
6.2. NLSIU shall not be liable for any failure of communication, delivery of emails, internet,
computer device, etc during any stage of the selection process
6.3. The decision of NLSIU on any student’s eligibility, candidature, shortlisting, and selection shall
be final and not subject to any appeals or challenges by or on behalf of any student(s)
6.4. By submitting an application for admission, a student undertakes to abide by all conditions of the
application process, and further undertakes to furnish accurate, correct, and complete information
and documents.
6.5. Any subsequent discovery of malpractice, dishonesty etc. will render the student ineligible to get
admission at NLSIU. No incomplete application will be considered. Any admission granted to
such a student is subject to be cancelled at any point of time at the discretion of the University.
6.6. NLSIU reserves the right to not grant admission to a selected candidate if any reason justifying
such a decision comes to its notice at any stage of the admission process.