Independence Day Special: The Law Colleges That Shaped India’s Freedom Struggle and Constitution

Government Law College, Mumbai (1855): Asia's Oldest Law School

GLC's connection with the freedom movement can be seen in the career of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. In his sedition trial of 1908 over articles published in Kesari, Tilak argued his own defence case in court. His education at GLC was part of the reason why he was able to engage with the colonial legal system he was challenging.

Dr Ambedkar taught English constitutional law at GLC as a professor from 1928. He was appointed Principal in 1935 and later chaired the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly.

GLC also produced Harilal J. Kania, independent India's first Chief Justice. M.C. Setalvad, another alumnus, became the country’s first Attorney General. Other notable alumni include constitutional lawyer Nani Palkhivala, jurist Fali S. Nariman and former President Pratibha Patil.

GLC’s faculty added another layer to this legacy. M.C. Chagla was a teacher at GLC before he became the first Indian Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court in 1948. He was later made External Affairs Minister of India. H.M. Seervai, known for his writing on Indian constitutional law, was also associated with this college.

University of Calcutta and the University College of Law (1857 / 1909)

The University of Calcutta began awarding law degrees after its establishment in 1857. A dedicated University College of Law was set up in 1909 under Sir Asutosh Mookerjee and later became the Department of Law, University of Calcutta.

Its freedom movement connection includes Subhas Chandra Bose. Bose studied at the university before going on to lead the Indian independence movement and found the Indian National Army. Dr Rajendra Prasad studied Master of Laws through the University of Calcutta system. He later became President of the Constituent Assembly and India's first President.

The university's legal education also produced senior judges in the early years of the Supreme Court. Lawyer Bijan Kumar Mukherjea, who studied law at Surendranath Law College under the University of Calcutta, was appointed CJI in December 1954.

The Presidency Institutions: Surendranath Law College, Calcutta

Surendranath Law College is closely linked to Bengal's nationalist politics through its founder, Surendranath Banerjee, who took charge of the institution in 1882. Its law department was separated in 1885 and affiliated with the University of Calcutta. It was renamed Surendranath Law College in 1949.

Although Banerjee had studied at Middle Temple, London, he was denied admission to the English bar. He later founded the Indian National Association and served as president of Congress in 1895. Swami Vivekananda also delivered his first Calcutta address here after returning from the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893.

Allahabad University's Faculty of Law

The law department of Allahabad University had some practising lawyers as teachers on a part-time basis. Motilal Nehru was one of them. After qualifying as a lawyer, he taught here part-time and later served twice as Congress president. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru and Dr Kailash Nath Katju were also part-time teachers here.

The faculty's contribution continued into independent India's legal system. The institution has produced several Chief Justices of India, like M. Hidayatullah, J.S. Verma, M.H. Beg, R.S. Pathak, V.N. Khare, K.N. Singh and Ranganath Mishra.

The Inns of Court, London

The four Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple, were important centres of legal training for Indians during the colonial period.

Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru trained at Inner Temple. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a member of Lincoln's Inn. Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan's first Prime Minister, also trained there. Dr B.R. Ambedkar enrolled at Gray's Inn in 1916 and was later called to the Bar. Surendranath Banerjee studied at Middle Temple but was denied admission to practise at the English Bar.

Indian leaders’ legal training at the Inns of Court later shaped their work in the struggle for freedom, politics and, in Ambedkar's case, constitution-making.

The Legacy of India's Law Colleges

These law institutions show how closely legal education was connected with India's freedom struggle and constitution. Many prominent members of the Constituent Assembly (met between 1946 and 1949) had legal training.

The legacy of these institutions continues even today. GLC, the University of Calcutta, Allahabad University and Surendranath Law College continue to produce lawyers who contribute to India's judiciary system. Their history shows how law colleges have remained an important part of India's legal system across generations.