CUTTACK: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday advised students of National Law University, Odisha (NLUO) to take time off their professional activities to help the poor and the weak.
Addressing the 10th annual convocation of the university here, the President said, it is the student’s duty to dedicate some part of their professional time to serving the unserved or underprivileged. “It is rightly said that law is not just a career, it is a calling,” she said.
The President said India’s freedom struggle was led by qualified lawyers and it shows a large number of advocates from that generation were filled with the spirit of sacrifice for the nation. Remembering Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das, she said his birth anniversary is celebrated as ‘Lawyers Day’ in Odisha.
“For the people of Odisha, ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ and ‘Madhu-Barrister’ are the two most respected icons of India’s freedom struggle. Great freedom fighters and lawyers like them also upheld the ideals of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity in order to build a progressive and cohesive society,” said Murmu.
The President urged the students to remain steadfast in observing the constitutional ideals and advised them to be sensitive towards the priorities of the nation.
“Giving equal opportunity and respect to the vulnerable segments of our population, including women, should be the highest priority for every Indian who is in a position to help. A large number of our underprivileged and vulnerable fellow citizens do not even know about their rights and entitlements, nor do they have the means to move courts to seek relief or justice,” she added.
At the convocation, as many as 223 graduates were awarded degrees, including four doctorates, 42 LLMs and 177 from undergraduate courses - 117 and 61 candidates, respectively, from BA LLB and BBA LLB streams. At least 20 gold medals were awarded too.
Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, Law Minister Jagannath Saraka, Orissa High Court Chief Justice S Muralidhar and NLUO vice chancellor Prof Ved Kumari spoke at the convocation.