About Us
The Faculty of Law, Osmania University has a glorious history of more than 100 years. The “Law class” was opened in the year 1899 to give instruction in law to students desirous of joining legal profession along with “Judicial Test” classes for Judicial Officers. Thus teaching of Law was in existence even before Osmania University came into existence in the year 1918.
In the year 1923 the “law class” and “Judicial Test” classes were abolished and Law Department was established in the Osmania University at the Arts College with a Head and two teachers, who were supported by the part-time lecturers to cope up with the teaching work. The University made successful experiment of teaching law in vernacular language, namely, Urdu. At that time Urdu was court language too. The Translation Bureau translated all the leading textbooks into Urdu. From 1923 to 1934 there were only five papers for both the years. But in 1935 one paper each was added to both the years. The classes were held in the morning. Hardly there were hundred students in both years put together.
In 1942, LL.M. course was introduced with Comparative Jurisprudence and Comparative Constitutional Law as compulsory subjects with an option to choose either International Law or Conflict of Laws and Muslim Law or Hindu Law. Students of LL.M. had to submit a thesis on a subject studied by them in LL.B. and LL.M. In view of heavy demand for admission to Law course, the Law Department of the Arts College has been elevated into a full-fledged Law College in the year 1950 and shifted to Saifabad Science College in the city. The Law College used to function in the evening from 6.00 to 8.30 p.m. and the medium of instruction was changed to English. In 1954 the college was shifted from Saifabad Science College to Chadarghat College building situated at Tilak Road, Hyderabad. Due to lack of accommodation, a morning session in 1956 was started in the same building for the convenience of the students.
From 1942 to 1958 students of LL.M. had no choice of subject, as all subjects were compulsory except the choice between Hindu Law and Muslim Law. In 1958 LL.M. syllabus was revised and another branch viz., Constitutional and International Law was started. Within few years, Personal Laws branch was added. In 1966, Mercantile Law was also introduced. In 1958 University Grants Commission sanctioned Rs.8 lakhs for constructing Law College Building. Law College Building was constructed in the Campus and Morning session of the Law College was shifted to the new Building.
Justice P.Jagan Mohan Reddy, the then Dean, Faculty of Law took active interest in establishing the institution. The University College of Law was inaugurated in 1960 by the then Chief Justice of India Sri B.P .Sinha. Prof .G.C.V .Subba Rao was the first Principal of the College. The LL.M. Courses were shifted to the University College of Law in the same year. Four branches of LL.M. i.e., Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law and international Law, Personal law and Mercantile Law were offered by the College.
Subsequently some of the branches of LL.M. were shifted to Evening College of Law. In 1977 all the LL.M. courses were shifted to the Evening College of Law. Again in 1994, three branches viz. Constitutional, Corporate Law and Labour Law in LL.M. Course have been reintroduced in the University College of Law, O.U. LL.M. (Self-Finance) Alternate Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property Rights, International Trade and Economic Law, Criminology & Criminal Justice System, and Human Right and Social Justice. P.G. Diploma in Law courses (Cyber Laws, Insurance & Taxation Laws, and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Laws) At present, the sanctioned strength in LL.B. is 120 seats. 60 seats for LL.B three year LL.B course and 60 seats for five year LL.B course. The Faculty of Law introduced the Ph.D. Programme and first batch of Ph.D. students was registered in the year 1978. The Ph.D. Programme is offered on regular and part-time basis. As of August 2017, there are 92 Ph.D. scholars registered on rolls ; and a total of 8 scholars have been awarded Ph.D. degree in law by the university so far.
The college has produced many luminaries in different fields. There have been several Judges of the Supreme Court and various High Courts, Chief Ministers and Ministers, Civil Servants, Governors, Speakers and Ambassadors and leading Lawyers among the alumni of this institution. They include Justice P.Jaganmohan Reddy, Justice B.P.Jeevan Reddy, Justice Shah Mohammed Quadri, Justice Sardar Ali Khan, Justice Y.Bhaskar Rao, Justice B.Subhashan Reddy, Justice B.Sudarshan Reddy, Justice G.Bikshapathi, Justice L.Narasimha Reddy, Justice G. Chandraiah, and our honourable Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. Senior Advocates including R.Vasudeva Pillai, P.P.Rao, V, S.Ashoka, and B.C.Jain, Statesmen including S.B.Chavan, Virendra Patil, Shiv Raj Patil, Shivaji Rao Patil Nilangekar, V.S.Rama Devi, Sripada Rao, Ch.Vidyasagar Rao, Dharam Singh and Sri A. Narasimha Reddy, the present Chairman, Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh also is a proud alumnus of this college. This list is only illustrative in nature. The College has been consistantly rated as the one of the Best Law College in the Country in the survey conducted by the India Today and other magazines.The College houses an Intellectual Property Rights Depository sponsored by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India consisting of Books and Journals relating to IPRs worth nearly three lakhs rupees. The library also holds number of books on international humanitaran Law.