CUTTACK: President of India Ram Nath Kovind today called upon the emerging generation of lawyers to ponder over the defects in the legal system and rectify to ensure that a poor person has same access to law as a rich man.
Delivering the third Foundation Day Lecture of the National Law University Odisha (NLUO) here, the President said an advocate not only has a responsibility to the client but also a duty to assist the court in delivery of justice. “Our legal system has a reputation for being expensive and prone to delays,” he said and added that the use and abuse of the instrument of adjournment which slows down proceedings also adds to the cost of obtaining justice for the litigant. He urged the future legal professionals to simplify legal rules and enhance legal literacy.
The opportunities and rewards of this profession, both intellectual and financial, are enormous, Kovind said and added, ”But a good legal professional is not just somebody with a mind – he or she is also somebody with a heart”.
Modernisation of the legal profession has kept pace with the rise in opportunities for law graduates and young lawyers, the President said and added while litigation in the courtroom remains at the core of legal practice, a law graduate today finds many avenues open to him or her that were simply not available to previous generations.
Chief Justice of Supreme Court and visitor, NLUO Justice Deepak Mishra stressed on the importance of the foundation day as a mark of remembrance and to introspect what can be done for the future.
“When students graduate from the university, they should become cornerstones of liberty, justice and equality,” he said and advised students not to regard studies as a duty, but take it as an opportunity to learn.
Chief justice of Odisha High Court and Chancellor, NLUO, Justice Vineet Saran said the university has made a name not only in the national level, but also at the international level. He urged everyone present to contribute to the vision of the university and help it to reach its peak. Srikrishna Deva Rao, Vice-Chancellor, NLUO said that good infrastructure and sufficient resources along with an enabling environment goes a long way in the growth of self-motivated and bright young achievers. Governor SC Jamir, chief minister Naveen Patnaik and union minister for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan were also present.