Chief Justice goes down memory lane at alma mater

Kochi, Mar 1 (UNI) Going down the memory lane at his alma mater, the Government Law College, Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan were today exhorted the young students to make maximum use of the plentiful opportunities available now.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the renovated Legislative Council Building at the College, Justice Balakrishnan said the law students had several new areas to explore, unlike when he had passed out of the Law College in the late 1960s.

Corporate law, outsourcing of legal services and international law were among the new vistas, which had opened for law graduates, he said.

These opportunities were available not only for the graduates of the elite national law schools but also other law colleges.

The Chief Justice noted that states such as Tamil Nadu had reserved 33 per cent jobs in the legal services for women.

However, observing the large turnout of women students in the packed auditorium, the Chief Justice remarked in a lighter vein that perhaps the male students would now require reservation.

He recalled that there were only five women students in his class, when he studied law.

Stating that the students of the Law College were at the forefront of several socio-political activities, Justice Balakrishnan said, perhaps, the first protest march in Kerala against the Chinese aggression in 1962, was taken out by the Law College students of Ernakulam.

He said that upon passing out from Law College, he had the option to join as a guest lecturer or become a munsif and he had chosen the latter. However, he had always nursed a desire to teach, which he now got a chance to fulfil by taking occasional classes at the National Judicial Academy.

Law College Principal S Anujan said the Cochin Provincial Legislative Council building was handed over to the Law College in 1949 and several legal luminaries had passed out from its portals since then.

He also stressed the need to introduce a uniform five-year curriculum in all law colleges in the country.

Among others present on the occasion were Kerala Fisheries Minister S Sarma, Dr Sebastian Paul, MP, Prof K V Thomas, MLA, and Ernakulam District Collector APM Mohammed Hanish.

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