Law Students Will Benefit From Practical Experience: High Court Urges State To Find Suitable Place In Chennai For Madras Law College
The Madras High Court has urged the State government to find a suitable location within the Chennai city limits for the functioning of the Madras Law College. The Madras Law College (presently known as Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College) was established in 1891 and had been functioning from the heritage building near the Madras High Court in Chennai before being shifted to Tiruvallur...
The Madras High Court has urged the State government to find a suitable location within the Chennai city limits for the functioning of the Madras Law College. The Madras Law College (presently known as Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College) was established in 1891 and had been functioning from the heritage building near the Madras High Court in Chennai before being shifted to Tiruvallur and Chengalpettu District.
The bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy noted that legal education had undergone a paradigm shift and law education today was not just about classes but also about practical experience and interactions. The court was thus of the opinion that the law students would benefit from having a campus in Chennai itself where the High Court was situated.
The court was hearing a batch of pleas by the Law students seeking directions to the authorities to provide adequate infrastructure in the college campus as per the Rules of Education, 2008, and the guidelines issued by the Bar Council of India to have quality legal education.
The court agreed with the submissions of Senior Advocate NGR Prasad, who argued that the students were at a disadvantage due to their inability to attend court proceedings or take up part-time jobs in law firms while pursuing the course due to the distance.
In 2015, the college was bifurcated and shifted to campuses in Tiruvallur and Chengalpettu after the building was declared unsafe due to damages from the Metro Rail project. The court agreed that though the circumstances that existed then might have necessitated the shifting of the college, considering the larger interest of the students, the college campus could now be shifted back to the city.
The court thus directed the Government Advocate to get instructions from the State on finding a suitable location and adjourned the case to April 25.
Case Title: K Elangoo v the Secretary and Others
Case NO: WP 11806 of 2017