HYDERABAD: President Droupadi Murmu has called upon the new generation of legal professionals to become change agents in providing access to justice and legal aid to the poor people in the country, which is at present available to only the rich in society.
The president was speaking at the 21st Convocation Ceremony of the NALSAR University of Law on Saturday, where she congratulated the young professionals and wished that they would stick to the values of integrity and speak truth to power.
The president appreciated the efforts of NALSAR University in addressing the issues concerning disability, access to justice, prison and juvenile justice, and legal aid and its focus on Artificial Intelligence as an area of study.
“I am happy to note that NALSAR has set up an Animal Law Centre. It reminds me of my tenure as the Minister for Department of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development in Odisha nearly twenty years ago. There, I realised that there must be wide-spread efforts to sensitise people about the protection and welfare of animals. I expect the younger generations to protect animals and birds, trees and water-bodies as necessities for the well-being of humanity. NALSAR’s Animal Law Centre is a good step in that direction”, she said.
The president also cited examples from the freedom struggle of the country as she said, “ For a great country like ours, a sense of history arouses national pride and aspirations. Democratic traditions and practices of ancient India were highlighted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in his concluding speech at the Constituent Assembly”, as she spoke about the administration and legal system of Chanakya 2300 years ago in the reign of Chandragutpa Maurya.
“A rich corpus of legal literature was developed in different parts of ancient India. One of the most important legal references, the Apastamba Sutra is said to have been written in this very Deccan region. I have shared these historical details with you to remind you of the high legal traditions of our country. Our proven excellence in the past will inspire you to re-discover our collective genius”, she added.
The president also underlined the unparalleled struggle of Mahatma Gandhi, who gave up a successful legal career to fight for justice and how he blended compassion with legal acumen and won several battles against the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. “Our Constitution contains the ideals of our freedom struggle, namely, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.
The ideal of equality, enshrined in the Preamble and Fundamental Rights, also finds expression in one of the Directive Principles of State Policy concerning delivery of justice. The Directive seeks to provide equal justice and free legal aid”, Murmu remarked.
The president further noted that girl students had outnumbered boys as medal winners and conveyed her special appreciation to the girl students and urged them to help and empower other women and girls who are under-privileged.
The president concluded with hope that the students would utilise their education as an effective instrument of social justice and development and make a significant contribution to the nation.