Law colleges must evolve; integrate Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, AI in curriculum: SLS Pune director

Shashikala Gurpur

Legal education in India stands at critical crossroads. In our rapidly evolving socio-legal environment, artificial intelligence is recalibrating dispute resolution, climate change is building new regulatory frameworks, and digitalisation is reshaping rights and liabilities. The traditional model of legal education, while established, is increasingly distant from contemporary challenges and demands.

The way law is practised has undergone a paradigmatic shift. Yet, many institutions still cling to curricula and pedagogies that are no longer fully relevant.

India’s legal system itself is witnessing tectonic change. Over 49 million cases remain pending, nearly 25% due to the lack of legal professionals in many districts. Law schools must now prepare graduates capable of navigating stressed courts, handling electronic evidence, and adapting to legislative redesigns.

The introduction of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam represent a historic departure from colonial jurisprudence and signals a decisive transformation of criminal justice in India. These reforms emphasize victim-centric justice, community service sentencing, and the centrality of digital evidence. Such evolving framework demands that law schools bridge the gap between modern legal practice shaped by technology, globalisation, and local justice delivery.

Meeting this challenge requires more than updating textbooks. It calls for a reimagined pedagogy that fosters critical thinking, adaptability, and legal empathy. Without institutional agility and academic foresight, we risk producing lawyers ill-equipped to serve India’s complex legal landscape.

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Law Courses: Integration of new criminal codes

At Symbiosis Law School (SLS) Pune, we have approached this transformation with clarity and conviction. Integrating the new criminal codes into our curriculum was not a reactive response but a strategic process. Our curriculum committees undertook meticulous mapping of old and new provisions, introducing simulation-based training to help students internalize procedural shifts.

As an academician committed to curriculum reform, research, and legal policy, I believe leadership in legal education extends far beyond administration. It involves creating vibrant intellectual ecosystems that nurture inquiry, uphold constitutional morality, and prepare students to navigate ambiguity and uncertainty with confidence.

Leadership today must be anticipatory, problem-solving, peace-building and action-oriented, especially as the justice system becomes increasingly mediated by technology. E-filing, virtual hearings, AI-assisted judgments, and data-driven legal research have become integral to legal practice. We have proactively woven these components into undergraduate and postgraduate learning so that our graduates emerge with the legal and digital fluency the profession demands.

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Looking forward, legal education in India must embrace five core commitments:

Curricular responsiveness — the ability to evolve alongside legislative reforms and societal shifts so that students experience law as a living, dynamic discipline rather than a static set of doctrines.

Technological fluency — equipping future lawyers not only to use digital tools but to critically assess their role in expanding access to justice.

Ethical formation — helping students cultivate a strong professional integrity so that justice and equality become personal values guiding their decisions.

Scholarly engagement — bridging the gap between theory and practice by integrating rigorous research into teaching, ensuring classroom learning informs real-world courtroom decisions and policy proposals with thorough research.

Global and local insight — preparing graduates to operate confidently in international legal systems while retaining the cultural understanding needed to serve India’s unique context.

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Law Colleges: Making justice accessible

Another vital dimension is making justice more accessible and empowering people through the law. Even today, many in India, particularly in rural regions, struggle to secure timely legal assistance because of language barriers, financial constraints, and vast disparities between urban and rural infrastructure. Law schools have both an opportunity and a responsibility to address this gap by operating robust legal aid cells, fostering a pro bono culture, and preparing students to engage meaningfully with marginalized communities.

Legal education must transcend mere professional training; it should serve as a catalyst for individual transformation, equipping students for the complexities of a rapidly evolving legal ecosystem. As the legal landscape continues to evolve, the true test will be how effectively we nurture mindsets, update curricula, and integrate ethical clarity with technological proficiency and social empathy.

At Symbiosis Law School, Pune, our mission is to cultivate legal professionals committed to serving society while integrating corporate excellence. Through a future-ready curriculum, a culture of research-led teaching, and a sustained emphasis on inclusivity, we have set a benchmark for legal education in India. The road ahead is demanding, but it also offers an unprecedented opportunity to redefine legal education as an engine of national progress through justice and rule of Law.

Shashikala Gurpur is the director of Symbiosis Law School, Pune and Dean of the Faculty of Law, Symbiosis International University. She is a member of 19th Law Commission of India and National Academic Council. This piece first appeared in the 200th issue of the Careers360 magazine, published in August 2025