The university would have a specific centre for the purpose, which, in association with a Canada based university would provide six-month certificate and two-year LLM degree with `micro-specialisation' in air and space law. Other courses will include cyber laws and information technology law, law and medicine, telecom and cyber laws, intellectual property laws, etc.

RMLNLU would be the first centre of its kind in India, though the National Law University, Hyderabad also plans to start such courses. A draft proposal of the centre and the courses to be offered has been put forth before the governing body of the university. The cost of the courses and other nitty-gritties involved are yet to be decided by the varsity.

Speaking to reporters, director of RMLNLU, Prof Balraj Chauhan said that they plan to begin the course as soon as possible. He added that all the required formalities would be completed by April this year. The centre would be set up in a separate building which is being constructed on the university campus by the Rajkiya Nirman Nigam.

There would be 50 seats in each course for which there would be an open entrance. The LLB (honours) students who have completed their fifth semester would be eligible to pursue the course along with their regular course.

For LLM (with micro-specialisation in the said subjects), the students will have to undergo a four-month training in McGill university, Canada, the cost of which will be borne by the students only. Chauhan said that they would be declaring all the conditions to the students at the start of the course itself.

"A student will have to declare that he/she possesses resources for going on the four-month training. The other option is that students clear the scholarship examinations for going abroad,'' he said.

Associate professor in the Institute of Air and Space Law, Faculty of Law, McGill University, Prof Ram Jakhu said the air and space law are the new upcoming frontiers in the education. "The means of transportation and communication have expanded exponentially over a period of time,'' he said.

According to Prof Jakhu, there is growing privatisation of air and space. "This needs to be brought under a legal framework. And for that, we need a specific set of people who specialise exhaustively in the subject,'' he said.

Chauhan said that the varsity would help the students in their placements after the completion of the courses.

"We have a specific committee which would look after the students and ensure that they are absorbed,'' he said. The students can look for various avenues of legal experts in both private and public sector airlines, in premier research organisations like ISRO and in educational institutes.

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