Members of Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access Project at Chanakya National Law University and (middle) Rahul with his father Narendra Prasad Yadav at the university in Patna. (Below) Rachit Ranjan research scholar and member of IDIA, Chanakya National Law University. Pictures by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, July 1: Rahul Kumar Yadav, a 20-year-old youth from Patna City, is on cloud nine. He has not only cracked the Common Law Admission Test (Clat) but is ready to get enrolled in the prestigious Chanakya National Law University (CNLU).

The aspiring lawyer cannot thank his mentors enough. Son of Narendra Prasad Yadav, a flourmill mechanic in Patna, Rahul could not have been able to achieve the difficult goal if a little help had not come his way from the students of CNLU.

A group of youths from the varsity, under the banner of Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA) Project, tutored him for the entrance test.

The IDIA project is a brainchild of Shamnad Basheer, a teacher of West Bengal National University of Jurisdical Sciences. Some students of CNLU have volunteered to join the project and provide free coaching to students from under-privileged background. The purpose of the project is to create legal awareness among students of low-income group in small towns and rural areas.

The project started last year and Rahul is their only student, trained under the IDIA project, to crack Clat.

Rahul said: “It was my dream to join the legal profession. However, because of lack of guidance and coaching, I was at a loose end. Without support and guidance from the IDIA members, I would not have been able to clear Clat. The IDIA team acted as a bridge, helping me reach my goal.”

The youth added that he wanted to be a lawyer as he had often seen people from economically backward sections being exploited because of their poverty and their lack of knowledge about their rights.

The admission process at CNLU has already begun. The classes will start from the first week of July.

Rachit Ranjan, a research scholar and member of IDIA team at CNLU, said: “The national law schools are a brand name in the field of legal education. They provide quality legal education. However, because of lack of awareness among students from low-income background in small towns and rural areas, they often do not opt for a career in law. Only students from English-medium schools and middle class or upper class background can afford to access quality legal education.”

Ranjan added that IDIA aims to provide free coaching to students mainly from economically weaker sections of society, so that they, too, can study at big law universities. Efforts would also be made to provide scholarships to students who clear Clat and are selected to pursue a degree at national law schools.

Saurav Singh, another member of the IDIA team, said for enrolling into the IDIA coaching club, aspirants have to appear for an aptitude test.

He added: “Last year, we provided coaching to 10 students. Of them, one student has cleared Clat.”

The team is now planning to expand its base and start coaching centres in other districts of the state.