'Catch Them Young, Watch Them Grow': Kerala HC Legal Services Committee Introduces 'SAMVADA' To Inculcate Civic Sense In School Students

In a bid to inculcate value based, civic sense in school students and mould them into responsible citizens of the Country, the Kerala High Court has developed yet another novel initiative named ‘SAMVADA’, under the aegis of the High Court Legal Services Committee (HLSC).

The Project which was conceived by Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque in his capacity as the Chairman of the High Court Legal Services Committee, and is now flourishing under the guidance of Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar, targets school students of Grade VIII-Grade XII in the State, under the State Board, CBSE and ICSE syllabi. ‘Catch them Young and Watch them Grow’ is the motto of the Project.

Each school can contact the Secretary, HLSC, who is the nodal officer of the Project, with a team of maximum of 30 students from Grade VIII-Grade XII for visiting the High Court of Kerala. The Secretary shall then allot a date for their visit. The Secretary shall also make necessary arrangements for the smooth conduct of the visit of the children in consultation with the High Court Registry.

At the High Court, the students shall first be given a 45-minute guided tour of the Court, in the different court halls, libraries and administrative offices.

In the next lap, the students shall assemble in the Adalat hall for a presentation session on Lessons of law which shall extend to another 45 minutes. The module for presentation is prepared on the basis of syllabi which is discussed and designed by the sub-committee consisting of three women lawyers, and the presentation shall be handled by the Resource Persons, who are lawyers of the Court, and selected by the Kerala High Court Advocates Association (KHCAA), and the Kerala Federation of Women Lawyers (KFWL).

The Syllabi for the module Presentation include: i. History of the Kerala High Court; ii. Hierarchy of Courts in the Judicial System; iii. Rule of Law; iv. Constitution of India; v. Law relating to Crimes and Punishment which include POCSO law, law relating to sexual offences, NDPS, and cyber crimes; vi. Environmental Laws; vii. Traffic Laws; viii. Laws relating to Senior citizens and Parents; ix. Laws relating to Right to Information; x. Laws relating to Juvenile Justice; xi. Cyber Laws; and xii. Disputes and dispute resolution. It is pertinent to note that the students are apprised of dispute resolution through peer mediation at the very outset, through the same.

Soon after the presentation, the students shall be evaluated through a quiz/MCQ /activity based problem solving for about 20 minutes. The first three winners of the evaluation shall be given E-Certificates. All students shall also be awarded with badges of honour with a tag line, “I am a civic citizen”, which they can use throughout the academic year.

The team of students can thereafter have a 10 minute interactive session with a Judge of the Kerala High Court.

The first session of SAMVADA was conducted on April 10, 2023, with a team of students from Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram. The students had the opportunity to interact with Justice Muhamed Mustaque, Justice Jayasankaran Nambiar and Mr. K.T. Nisar Ahamed the then Member Secretary of KELSA. At present, five sessions of SAMVADA have taken place. Justice Musatque, Justice Nambiar, Justice Anitha M.R., Justice Shaji P.Chaly, Justice Devan Ramachandran, and Justice Sophy Thomas are the Judges of the High Court who have interacted with the students in the sessions, so far.

Functionaries under the Project

The Secretary, HLSC, is the Nodal Officer of the Project, who makes all the necessary arrangements for the visit of the students.

The Co-Ordinator of the Project shall be a woman lawyer nominated by the Chairman, HLSC, who shall co-ordinate with the school which has been allotted with a slot by the Secretary for the visit. She shall also co-ordinate with the subcommittee regarding the module presentation, and allot resource persons for the same. She shall also supervise the evaluation process held for the student group, and maintain a note on each visit of students which may be shared with the HLSC every three months. Importantly, the Coordinator of the Project in consultation with KFWL and resource persons can recommend modification of the syllabi to the sub-committee which will be subject to the approval of the Chairman, HLSC. 

The Sub Committee, which is a permanent feature of the Project, consists of three women lawyers who are the charter contributors. Adv. Mitha Sudheendran, Adv. Aswini Shankar and Adv. Shruthi Bhat designed the module for the Project based on the aforementioned syllabi. The Sub committee can revise and modify the module for presentation as and when required, subject to the approval of the Chairman, HLSC. They shall also consider the recommendations made by the coordinator in consultation with KFWL and resource persons to add to/modify the syllabi for module presentation, which is also subject to Chairman’s approval. Further, the Sub Committee shall help the coordinator in the evaluation process after the module presentation and even extend their services as resource persons for presenting the module and handling sessions, if required.

There are 30 resource persons for the Project nominated by the Chairman, HLSC, from the names recommended/suggested by the KHCAA and KFWL. These resource persons present the module ad conduct the evaluation of the students.

The KFWL is the consulting body of the Project, and in charge of its management. The KFWL shall also make necessary suggestions/recommendations whenever consulted by the Chairman, HLSC, for various reforms in the Project.