The orientation of the first batch of BA LLB Honours in Adjudication and Justicing took place virtually at Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Nagpur. Launching this course in MNLU-Nagpur’s fifth year, the university has realised the vision of Justice S A Bobde, Chief Justice of India and Chancellor of MNLU-Nagpur. The University has launched this unique course with 40 students admitted from 10 States. The first-of-its-kind in India course aims at training and equipping students for the entry level of Judiciary. CJI S A Bobde sent a video-message to welcome and motivate the students, to mark the inauguration of the orientation. He congratulated MNLU-Nagpur for taking a historic step of launching the course in justice education.

 

He emphasised that this course was designed to produce well rounded judicial officers of the very best capabilities ready to decide cases of any kind anywhere, and to give practical training in the art of judging actual cases being heard by a court. Justice R C Chavan, former Judge, Bombay High Court, was the chief guest for the orientation programme. He congratulated the entrants for having qualified to the course through rigorous process. He said that these students would become role models for judicial officers in future. Students will be trained in reasoning, articulation, decision-making, patience, sense of justice, and above all open-mindedness with the ability to overcome bias, prejudice, and sympathies ingrained by birth, he added. Prof (Dr) Vijender Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of MNLU-Nagpur, delivered welcome address.

 

He motivated the students to pursue five years of studies with commitment and sincerity. He stated that the University was initiating the process of balancing justice and legal education in the country. He thanked Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, for the Government support. He assured the students and parents that the University would be teaching the students in classrooms and training them in courtrooms.

 

The entrants of the course have been selected through a rigorous process of admission which included CLAT score-based screening, psychometric test, group discussion, and personal interviews conducted by an Expert Committee of sitting High Court judges, academicians and psychologists. Regular internships, judicial clerkship, and six months of apprenticeship under the guardianship of High Court Justices and District Judges would be the unique practical features of this course. MNLU-Nagpur thanked Justice B R Gavai, Judge, Supreme Court of India; Justice Dipankar Datta, Chief Justice, High Court of Bombay; and a committee of High Court judges for their continuous guidance towards successful materialisation of this course. Prof C Ramesh Kumar gave a detailed introduction to the course structure emphasising the need to impart core judicial and administrative skills along with judicial ethics. The team of faculty and staff members introduced themselves to the students and parents. Dr Ashish Dixit, Registrar, proposed a vote of thanks.