Why can’t law students go to remote areas to study: HC
CHENNAI, JUNE 30, 2018 00:00 IST
Court refuses to stop inauguration of two law college campuses
The Madras High Court on Friday refused to restrain the State government from inaugurating two new campuses for the Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College here at Pudupakkam in Kancheepuram district and Tiruvalangadu in Tiruvallur district. Advocate General Vijay Narayan informed the court that Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami would be inaugurating both the campuses on Monday.
A Division Bench of Justices N. Kirubakaran and V. Parthiban refused to pass any kind of interim orders on a batch of cases filed by a group of students opposing the proposal to shift the college, situated close to the High Court at present, to the two new campuses with immediate effect. After hearing the petitioners’ counsel, the judges simply adjourned the cases to Wednesday for hearing the government’s reply.
Age gap
Initially, the Advocate General told the court that a government order was passed on Thursday deciding to conduct the five-year law course at Pudupakkam campus and the three-year law course at Tiruvalangadu. He said it was being done because there was a huge age gap between those who took up five-year law course after completing schooling and those who studied three-year law course after completing graduation. Stating that the classes for the academic year 2018-19 would begin at the new campuses from July 9, he said that both the campuses had been equipped with hostel facilities to accommodate 600 students in each of them. He also said that the mess facilities were also ready and that the contractor for cooking food would be finalised soon. The judges were also shown photographs of the infrastructure available on the two campuses.
‘Unsafe for girls’
However, advocate N.G.R. Prasad, representing some of the petitioner students, contended that 60% of the strength of the college were females and therefore it would not be safe to force them to go to remote areas for their studies. He said the government was not justified in shifting the college that had been functioning near the High Court for the last 127 years. He said being closer to the High Court would help the students to interact with lawyers and attend court proceedings.
Stating that the college was being shifted just because the government wanted to avoid perceived inconvenience caused to it by some students who indulged in violence about a decade ago, Mr. Prasad said: “The decision has been taken for the convenience of the government and not that of the students,” he said.
Remote locations
Appearing for another group of students, Senior Counsel P.S. Raman claimed that the constructions at the new campuses were not yet complete and that the government was hurrying up with the inauguration. “The new campuses are in a remote place. There is nothing there. Not even a tea shop is there nearby,” he said. The counsel also pointed out that there was no direct bus facility from the city to the location of the two new campuses.
Advocate V. Raghavachari contended that the students had an emotional connect with the present building of the government college and therefore they should not be shifted. Not in agreement with the submissions, the judges said the focus should be on improving the quality of education provided by government law colleges and not on the quality of geographical location of those institutions.
Pointing out that a majority of the engineering colleges in the State were located in remote areas and that many students studied there, the judges wondered how the students who came all the way from their native districts in Kanniyakumari, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli to study at the government law college here could complain about shifting the campus from Parrys to Pudupakkam and Tiruvalangadu.
CHENNAI, JUNE 30, 2018 00:00 IST
Court refuses to stop inauguration of two law college campuses
The Madras High Court on Friday refused to restrain the State government from inaugurating two new campuses for the Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College here at Pudupakkam in Kancheepuram district and Tiruvalangadu in Tiruvallur district. Advocate General Vijay Narayan informed the court that Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami would be inaugurating both the campuses on Monday.
A Division Bench of Justices N. Kirubakaran and V. Parthiban refused to pass any kind of interim orders on a batch of cases filed by a group of students opposing the proposal to shift the college, situated close to the High Court at present, to the two new campuses with immediate effect. After hearing the petitioners’ counsel, the judges simply adjourned the cases to Wednesday for hearing the government’s reply.
Age gap
Initially, the Advocate General told the court that a government order was passed on Thursday deciding to conduct the five-year law course at Pudupakkam campus and the three-year law course at Tiruvalangadu. He said it was being done because there was a huge age gap between those who took up five-year law course after completing schooling and those who studied three-year law course after completing graduation. Stating that the classes for the academic year 2018-19 would begin at the new campuses from July 9, he said that both the campuses had been equipped with hostel facilities to accommodate 600 students in each of them. He also said that the mess facilities were also ready and that the contractor for cooking food would be finalised soon. The judges were also shown photographs of the infrastructure available on the two campuses.
‘Unsafe for girls’
However, advocate N.G.R. Prasad, representing some of the petitioner students, contended that 60% of the strength of the college were females and therefore it would not be safe to force them to go to remote areas for their studies. He said the government was not justified in shifting the college that had been functioning near the High Court for the last 127 years. He said being closer to the High Court would help the students to interact with lawyers and attend court proceedings.
Stating that the college was being shifted just because the government wanted to avoid perceived inconvenience caused to it by some students who indulged in violence about a decade ago, Mr. Prasad said: “The decision has been taken for the convenience of the government and not that of the students,” he said.
Remote locations
Appearing for another group of students, Senior Counsel P.S. Raman claimed that the constructions at the new campuses were not yet complete and that the government was hurrying up with the inauguration. “The new campuses are in a remote place. There is nothing there. Not even a tea shop is there nearby,” he said. The counsel also pointed out that there was no direct bus facility from the city to the location of the two new campuses.
Advocate V. Raghavachari contended that the students had an emotional connect with the present building of the government college and therefore they should not be shifted. Not in agreement with the submissions, the judges said the focus should be on improving the quality of education provided by government law colleges and not on the quality of geographical location of those institutions.
Pointing out that a majority of the engineering colleges in the State were located in remote areas and that many students studied there, the judges wondered how the students who came all the way from their native districts in Kanniyakumari, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli to study at the government law college here could complain about shifting the campus from Parrys to Pudupakkam and Tiruvalangadu.
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