The Post Graduate College of Law at Basheerbagh was established in 1899 by the then Nizam government to train judges and advocates in its regime. At that time, the court proceedings were conducted in Urdu and hence, courses in Law were provided in both Urdu and English with many eminent lawyers and legal experts even coming from England to take classes. Today, the college stands as a testimony to its high quality of legal education.
A constituent college of Osmania University, it has secured ranks among the top 15 Law colleges in the country in various surveys, apart from having the recognition of being one of the oldest Law colleges in Asia.
College Principal, Gali Vinod Kumar, an ardent follower of BR Ambedkar, says the college offered only two subjects — Jurisprudence of Law and Constitutional Law — at the time of its inception compared to nearly 60 subjects offered in a five-year LLB course now. “The essence of Law and Education is to do something to enable one to contribute to society. We have students from disadvantaged backgrounds but we ensure we compete with top private Law colleges too,” says Kumar, who is also the first Dalit Principal of the college.
The college has many achievements that it is proud of, Kumar adds, “Unlike other government colleges that are closed half the time due to bandhs, we are never closed other than on Sundays. Even during the Telangana agitation for Statehood, we functioned but also participated in the agitation after college hours.” The college does not recognise any student organisations other than its student-elected annual bar council.
It is also the first college in Osmania University to grab a research project worth Rs 1.75 crore on the topic Inclusive growth through constitutional measures sanctioned by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. “We are the only college, among 11 who got projects to pursue research on the Constitution. We are also the only college in the country to have a Chair on Ambedkar’s perspectives on Constitution, the topic for which a five-year research project has been sanctioned by the Ambedkar Foundation,” states the Principal, who is also proud of the fact that Ambedkar received his only Indian honorary doctorate (DLitt) from Osmania University in 1953.
The college was shifted to its present serene and spacious premises at Basheerbagh in 1983. As many as 740 students are on the rolls, apart from 14 PhD scholars. There are four regular teaching faculty, apart from 15 visiting faculty for LLM and 11 for LLB. According to the Principal, software giant WIPRO has agreed to provide laptops to the students free of cost as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. Students here, apart from excelling in academics, have also brought laurels to the college in sports and cultural activities. They bring out an exclusive annual student publication, Lawzine, to review trends in Legal education and practice.
Courses
PG College offers courses in BA, LLB (five year integrated Degree course) after 10+2 education in self-finance mode. Candidates are selected through the Telangana State LAWCET examination. Student intake per year is 60. The university also offers LLM evening classes between 4.30 pm and 9.30 pm. Subjects taught include Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law, International Law, Corporate Law, Labour Law, and Crimes and Torts. Further, a Master’s course for working lawyers and judicial officers, with minimum three years’ standing/service, is also offered under the name LLM Under Regular and Private Appearance. This is only in the evenings on weekends. One can even do a PG Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights and PhD here.
Research Centre
The registrar of Osmania University has entered into an MOU with Dr Ambedkar Foundation to build a research centre. The research centre will bring awareness on the Constitutional concepts of Dr BR Ambedkar apart from reviewing the Constitutional safeguards for protection of weaker sections of the society and discussing the scientific thoughts of Ambedkar.
Infrastructure
A multipurpose seminar hall, lecture theatres equipped with advanced audio and video learning tools, an educational media centre, spacious classrooms, air-conditioned moot court halls with advanced audio equipment to conduct mock trials and moot courts for practical training are present. A well set up computer lab is also provided with access to paid legal websites like AIR Infotech, a concern of All India Reporter, that publishes crucial court judgements; and that of ALD Legal Limited, a firm of solicitors based in northwest London. The college has free WiFi and now has improved security, as it now has CCTV surveillance.
Free Legal Aid Centre
The college provides free legal aid, family and legal counselling, training to students and para-legal volunteers in recent trends in practical, legal and procedural issues. “Every month, we take up five-six cases, especially on women’s issues, and refer them to courts. Counselling is done for at least 10 families every month,” says Kumar. The students also reach out to the society in programmes jointly held by organisations like Civil Liberties Committee, Human Rights Forum and Human Rights Network.
Placements
Last year, 30 of their students got placed in different corporate companies. “The trend of opting for corporate jobs seems to be on the rise with each passing year. Our students, due to their financial background, prefer going to companies as legal advisors. We are also giving them language training and computer skills training to improve their employablity,” says Kumar.
rahul.v@newindianexpress.com