CNLU students stage a candlelight march demanding placements for varsity graduates, in Patna. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Chanakya National Law University — a dream project of chief minister Nitish Kumar — turned into a nightmare when varsity students went on a hunger strike last month, demanding placements for final-year examinees. The agitation exposed not just students’ fury but also the dismal state of affairs at one of the most ambitious projects launched by the NDA government. CNLU vice-chancellor A Lakshminath talks to The Telegraph on the varsity’s problems and its future prospects

Students havebright future

CNLU was opened in 2006. How do you rate the performance of the varsity in the past five years?

The university is still in its initial stage of formation, but it is doing well. We have good students and they will shine. They are brighter and more studious than the general law students from state universities. We have different types of students, some of them have an edge in forensic skills while some have good command over corporate laws.

 

More avenues for lawyers

Has the university managed to block the “brain drain” from the state, particularly students opting for law careers in other states/ countries?

Chanakya National Law University has given an opportunity to students who are interested in the legal profession. Earlier, students who wanted to take up law as profession had limited scope in the state but now the situation has improved. The state has produced a number of eminent lawyers and judges who have created a niche for themselves in the legal profession. The opening of CNLU is an effort to keep this spirit of the students high.

 

New campus well-equipped

What steps have been taken for improvement of the university in the past five years?

We have built a new campus in record time. The foundation-laying ceremony of the new campus was held in May 2008 and in July 2010 we shifted to the new building at Mithapur.

The campus has hostel and wi-fi facilities. The university has a legal aid clinic and in the past five years we have held seminars and discussion of various topics. CNLU students have taken up the responsibility of providing free coaching to needy students and we have also organised training programmes for senior officers of Bihar police. CNLU is the only national law university in Bihar which offers integrated five-year BA-LLB (Honours) programme to students keen to take up law profession. It is only the 10th national law varsity in India.

 

Important role in social change

What is the relevance of law profession other than court practice?

Law is not confined to litigations only, lawyers are known to be social engineers. If an administrator knows the law well, his efficiency increases. An administrator with good knowledge of law can initiate settlement over an issue between two parties through arbitration or mediation. This will also ease the case load on courts.

 

Laws framed, not applied

What do you think about the legal process and the justice system in India, particularly in Bihar?

India's judicial system is very strong. Justice maybe delayed but it is never denied. In India, judicial emphasis is on evidence and gathering evidence, many a times, is time-consuming. When new laws are framed, there is hardly any discussion in Parliament. New legislations are passed but there is no effort to implement them. Various anti-terrorist laws made by successive governments have seen the same fate.

 

Ensure witness protection

Tell us something about speedy trails introduced by the Nitish Kumar government?

Speedy trials have been very successful in Bihar. General courts take more time in delivering judgment as a lot of time goes into collecting evidence. One of the reasons why investigating agencies take time in collecting evidence is because the witness fears deposing before the court, as there is no system to protect witnesses in India. If such a system is introduced, more and more people will be ready to assist the law-enforcing agencies, hence ensuring speedy trial.

About A. Lakshminath...

He is the first vice-chancellor of CNLU. Prior to this he was registrar and dean at NALSAR, Hyderabad. Born in Vishakhapatnam in 1942, Lakshminath completed his early education in Andhra Pradesh and later went to Nagpur University for his LLB. He completed his LLM and PhD from the same university and later joined it as a faculty member. In 1986, he shifted to Andhra Pradesh and joined the Andhra University (Vishakhapatnam). Lakshminath has also worked as a Fulbright visiting professor at the University of Massachusetts, USA, and taken classes as visiting professor in Banaras Hindu University. He has authored 10 books and written over 120 articles for reputed law journals. Till date, 75 research scholars have received PhD under his guidance.

What would you have been had you not been an academic?

I was always interested in law studies. Had I not been an academic, I would have become a lawyer and served the people.

 

Varsity focus on quality education

“Investment Rs 100 crore, result 80 unemployed” screamed a placard put up by agitating students recently. Why is there so much disgruntlement among the varsity students over placements?

We are trying our best to ensure placement for each and every student. Initially, National Law School of India University (NLSIU) at Bangalore also did not have good placement opportunities. However, now, not only are the varsity students getting placement offers but also graduates from the institute, who have formed their alumni association, are helping their juniors bag the best jobs. In fact, a number of students from NLSIU have joined law firms set up by their seniors. Such practice is not confined to NLSIU but all major law universities in the country are following the same trends. We sent many CNLU students for internship with eminent lawyers and law firms. The students who had gone for internship should have impressed their seniors. We can't provide placements to students like management institutes and engineering colleges. Moreover, according to the act of CNLU, we are only to provide better legal education. Many students, who are currently pursuing their studies from CNLU, have taken applied for higher studies in foreign universities