The Institute of Military Law is the only Institute in the whole of Asia for training military personnel in various branches of military and allied laws and in the administration of military justice. The Institute is manned by officers belonging to the Judge Advocate General’s Department of the Indian Army. It is now a Joint Services Training Institute for training officers of the tri-services. Judge Advocates Basic Course (JAC), Judge Advocates Advance Course (JAAC), Middle Level Commanders & Staff Officers Law Course (MLSC) and Special List Officers Law Course (SLLC) are the important courses conducted at IML.

Till date, IML has conducted more than 246 courses and has trained more than 10000 Officers from Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Coast Guard, BSF and Friendly Foreign Countries includig USA, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Botswana, Seychelles, Tonga, Nepal, Tanzania and Kenya. In addition, Law Capsules/Symposiums have also been conducted for Islamic Republic of Iran (2008), Ethiopia (2009), United Stated of America (2014), Sultanate of Oman (2014), Egypt (2015) & Maldives (2022).

The essentiality of this training institution engaged the attention of the JAG’s Dept during its various stages of expansion. In the year 1970, the then Judge Advocate General, Brigadier Amarpal Singh had the ‘foresight’ to plan and moot the establishment of a training Institution which would cater for the formal training of officers in Military Law.

 The annals of JAG’s Dept reveal that Lieutenant Colonel B R Prashar, the then AJAG, Army HQ, prepared a well researched and comprehensive paper titled “Establishment of Training Facilities in Military Law”. The paper was submitted to Lieutenant General Har Prasad, the then Adjutant General. The pleas in the Paper succinctly reasoned out the requirement of setting up of a training establishment in Military Laws. The then JAG discussed the proposal and endorsed the views for establishing an exclusive training facility in Military and allied Laws.

The Ministry of Defence, Government of India, on 20 May 1985, sanctioned setting up of the Institute of Military Law in three phases. Keeping in view the proposed aim and objectives, in May 1985, the first phase commenced at Delhi where a nucleus faculty was created. The Institute was thereafter formally opened and set up with a ‘hawan’ and prayers in the JAG’s office at Sena Bhawan.

Phase – II was sanctioned on 08 October 1987 for a period of two years and in February 1988, the Institute was moved to Shimla. In July-August 1989, IML moved to Kamptee. On 23 Dec 2016, IML was granted permanency by the MoD.     

On 07 Jan 2021, IML was re-located from Kamptee to New Delhi and within a record of 30 days and started its new course, JAC-31, despite the post-move teething problems and challenges posed by COVID Pandemic. The relocation of IML at Delhi, will give greater vistas of growth and result in training being imparted in the most professional way.

“Vidhi Gyanam Pradhanam’

Knowledge of Law is Supreme