Department of Law, University of Calcutta

The college was established by the then Vice Chancellor of University of Calcutta Ashutosh Mukherjee in 1909. Prior to 1983, the Department of Law was known as the University College of Law. Sir Asutosh wanted it to be a model center of legal education. In a meeting held on 4 July 1908, the Senate recommended the proposal to establish University Law College in Kolkata. Sir Surendranath Banerjee was also present at the meeting, which was presided by Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser, the Rector of the University. The resolution was passed that a college is to be established for the promotion of legal education of the students of Bengal for degrees in law and to serve as a model college. Finally the University Law College, started functioning under the management of a government body consisting of 16 members with the Vice-Chancellor as President from July, 1909. Eminent scholar and jurist Dr. S.C. Bagchi, LL.D became the first principal and Birajmohan Majumdar was appointed the first vice-principal of this College. The Faculty has been in its current state since 1983.[2]

The Department offers a five-year integrated B.A LL.B.(Hons.) program. Admission to the Department's undergraduate program as well as its affiliated colleges is done on the basis of a Common Admission Test which is taken by upwards of 5,000 students every year. The Department also offers a two year Master of law (LL.M), a PhD Programme and also provides Post-Doctoral research (LL.D).[3][4]

The services of the Department to the University and the country are not always realized. The Department of Law has been, during the course of its existence for over a century, a nursery of leaders of the State, Bar and the Judiciary.