New Delhi: A proposal to set up five regional centres for advanced legal studies and research has been submitted by the Union Law Ministry.

The proposed bill, titled The Centres for Advanced Legal Studies and Research Bill, 2010, has been prepared by the ministry for the establishment of a network of autonomous Centres for Advanced Legal Studies and Research in each region.

According to the Bill, the objective for setting up the centres is to study and conduct researches on all aspects of law and the various changes that are brought about to it. The focus of the centres would be on new and upcoming areas of law and providing the facilities and infrastructure for a systematic approach to research in the field of law.

Maintaining a connection as well as interaction with law institutes and universities in India, the proposal by the ministry also says that the centres would also act as think-tanks for the Indian government on national as well as international levels.

The centres would also assist in the promotion of excellence in academics as well as legal education in India and the continuous process of legal education for the faculty as they would also provide refresher course on al aspects of higher education and research in the field of law.

The ministry has proposed that each of the 5 centres would have their own Board of Governors. Also, the chairperson for all centres would be an eminent law academician.

Other members in the Board of Governors would include a Director, a Law Ministry official, Attorney General or Solicitor General of the country, Advocate General of the state where the centre would be located, director of the National Law School or Law University nominated by the Union government, Bar Council of India president along with three renowned experts from the legal field.

The Board of Governors would be constituted for a period of three years. The Visitor of the centre would be the Chief Justice of India.