BENGALURU: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, while presiding over the 34th annual convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, on Saturday said that law is a profession not meant for the faint-hearted.
“I am aware of the impact that you are about to impart,” Kant spoke to the graduating cohort, continuing, “I have immense expectations from all of you. You have navigated a curriculum here that tested the limits of your endurance.”
Kant, stressing that the faint-hearted do not survive as practitioners of law, called law to be not a static, but an ever-changing subject. “It breathes and evolves through those who practise it. Law school is a crucible for the essence of dialogue being forged,” he added.
Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also attended the convocation, said, “A robust democracy must provide citizens with the opportunity to question the government. At a time when democratic institutions across the world are facing challenges, young lawyers and policymakers bear a special responsibility to protect the Constitution. A strong democracy is not one where everyone agrees with the government; rather, a truly robust democracy is one where every citizen possesses the freedom to question the government.”
Shivakumar announced that the state government would establish a dedicated institute in the state for the training of aspiring lawyers for law entrance examinations, similar to coaching centres that cater to students vying for seats in engineering or medical courses.
“Furthermore, the government will support the establishment of a ‘start-up law clinic’ at NLSIU, where students, faculty members, and lawyers will provide pro bono legal advice to young entrepreneurs,” he added.
The Chief Minister also spoke about the backlog of cases in the judiciary, noting that crores of cases are pending before Indian courts, with individuals and families left waiting for justice. “For us, it might just be another case number; but for the individual involved, it could be their entire life. It is essential to make justice swift, simple, affordable, and accessible to all,” he said.
This year, 1720 students graduated from NLSIU, including six from the PhD programme, 36 from the Master of Public Policy (MPP) programme, 100 from the Master of Laws (LLM) programme, 72 from the three-year Bachelor of Law (LLB, honours) programme, 116 from the Bachelor of Arts and Laws (BA LLB, honours) programme, and 1,390 from the university’s online and hybrid programmes. A total of 24 students received 50 gold medals in total.