11th Convocation Of NLU Delhi: Justice BV Nagarathna For 'Constructive Citizenship' And Laments Lack Of Diversity In The Legal Profession
National Law University Delhi celebrated its 11th Convocation on the 14th of September 2024, marking another milestone in the institution's journey towards excellence in legal education. The Convocation Address was delivered by Justice BV Nagarathna, Judge, Supreme Court Of India in the presence of Justice Manmohan (Acting Chief Justice, Delhi High Court and Chancellor, National Law University Delhi), Justice Chandra Dhari Singh (Judge, Delhi High Court), Ms. Atishi (Minister of Education, Higher Education, Law, Justice & Legislative Affairs and other portfolios, Govt. of NCT of Delhi), Professor Dr. G.S. Bajpai (Vice-Chancellor, National Law University Delhi) and Professor Dr. Ruhi Paul, Registrar, National Law University Delhi.
In her Convocation Address, Justice Nagarathna called on the graduating students to commit themselves to the idea of 'constructive citizenship' as formulated by Smt. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur. She said that the 'construction of bonds between people built on personal or local relationships, including active contributions to society through social work should form the bedrock of citizenship'. Invoking Dr. BR Ambedkar's closing speech in the Constituent Assembly, Justice Nagarathna said the seminal contributions lawyers could make as 'constructive citizens' was the propagation of constitutional methods to bring about social change. She said the Constitution was neither the product nor the exclusive domain of Lutyens Delhi but instead has an 'unheard perspective on every crossroad of this country'.
Justice Nagarathna, who is in line to become the first female Chief Justice of India, also lamented the lack of gender diversity in the legal profession. She drew attention to the fact that only 13% of High Court judges in India were women and that women comprise only 15% of enrolled lawyers in India. The situation in law firms was also no better with only 27% women, she said. Justice Nagarathna was of the view that women are forced out of the legal profession at the prime of their careers due to unreasonable demands on them in both the personal and professional spheres. She said that these were not just statistics but represent missed opportunities, unheard voices and lost perspectives within our legal system.
In his address Vice-Chancellor Professor GS Bajpai gave an account of the impressive academic achievements of students and faculty, the robust research ecosystem being developed in the University, expanded educational equity measures and internationalisation efforts that have ensured that NLU Delhi achieved Rank 2 in the Government of India's NIRF rankings for the seventh consecutive year.
Justice Manmohan (Acting Chief Justice, Delhi High Court) conferred the degrees on 155 students from the Ph.D., LL.M., and B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) programmes. In addition, 29 medals and 5 cash prizes were presented to outstanding achievers. Ms. Labdhi Golechha from the B.A., LL.B (Hons.) won six gold medals and two cash prizes across different subjects and was also the Best Student of the Year.