"There Are Many Sub-standard Law Colleges In The Country, Which is A Very Worrying Trend. Judiciary is Attempting To Correct It"; Justice NV Ramana

"There are many sub-standard Colleges in the country, which is a very worrying trend. The Judiciary has taken a note of this, and is attempting to correct the same",remarked Justice NV Ramana today while delivering the convocation address in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Convocation ceremony of Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU)."We have more than 1500 Law Colleges and Law Schools in the country. Nearly 1.50 lakh students graduate from these Universities including the 23 National Law Universities. This is a truly astounding number. This demonstrates that the concept that the legal profession is a rich man's profession is coming to an end, and people from all walks of life are now entering the profession because of the number of opportunities and increasing availability of legal education in the country. But as is often the case, "quality, over quantity". Please do not take this wrongly, but what proportion of graduates who are fresh out of college are actually ready or prepared for the profession? I would think less than 25 per cent. This is in no way a comment on the graduates themselves, who certainly possess the required attributes to be successful lawyers. Rather, it is a comment on the large number of sub-standard legal educational institutions in the country which are colleges merely in name"."One of the consequences of the poor quality of legal education in the country is the exploding pendency in the country. There are nearly 3.8 crore cases pending in all the Courts in India despite the large number of advocates in the country. Of course, this number must be seen in the context of the around 130 crore population of India. It also shows the faith that people repose in the judiciary. We must also keep in mind, that even cases that are filed only yesterday become a part of the statistic regarding pendency." He saidIn his address, Justice Ramana told the graduating students that being young law graduates, they have the potential of being the "drivers of social change" and therefore this responsibility comes with a burden of raising the voice of those rendered voiceless."You must be the conscience bearers of the nation. Educate people as to their rights, and provide legal guidance whenever you can. These are heavy burdens to bear, but I am sure you are all strong enough to bear it." "Through your determined efforts you can empower communities, both locally and globally. Remember, your voice matters." Justice Ramana said.Addressing Damodaram Sanjivayya, Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Justice Ramana started the address by speaking about Damodaram Sanjivayya, former CM of Andhra Pradesh and Minister of Labour for Government of India. In the address, Justice Ramana said that everyone can learn from Damodaram Sanjivayya's exemplary life, his values and his service to the people of the nation. Saying so, Justice Ramana recounted a "famous anecdote" wherein once Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was considering Sanjivayya's candidature for the post of CM. As many other leaders could not digest this decision, multiple complaints about Sanjivayya being corrupt were made to Nehru. In view of this, a secret enquiry was called upon by Nehru to be conducted by one of his intimate friends.On reaching Sanjivayya's village, the leader stopped his car in front of a straw hut Sanjivayya's mother was cooking with a clay pot using firewood. When she was informed about his candidature, she remarked "Will my son be able buy a coal burning stove for me now? It is very difficult to cook using firewood at my age." It was after this incident that the leader felt no further need of an inquiry. Remembering the incident, Justice Ramana said "Damodaram Sanjivayya was a man of integrity and multifaceted personality. He was a selfless politician responsible for many path breaking initiatives including setting up of the AntiCorruption Bureau to check corruption in government offices. He strived for transparent and corruption- free administration." On Being a First Generation Lawyer and Life Struggles In a motivational speech, Justice Ramana informed the graduating students that like many of them, even he was a first generation graduate from his family who came from a rural background. Recounting his young days as a law student, Justice Ramana said that he remember how struggling it was for the students then to education themselves."When I compare my student days to that of the present generation, I feel that all of you are so very fortunate. You have abundant resources, facilities and unlimited access to a world of information. With your knowledge, and enthusiasm, you can create ideas and innovate, and thereby improve the existing methods, systems and the society as a whole." Justice Ramana said. Quoting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wherein he said "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty", Justice Ramana went ahead to motivate the...

"There Are Many Sub-standard Law Colleges In The Country, Which is A Very Worrying Trend. Judiciary is Attempting To Correct It"; Justice NV Ramana

Nupur Thapliyal

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