The National Law University, Jodhpur (NLUJ) held its fifth Convocation on January 22, 2012 at the University campus. On a sunny, clear morning the Vice Chancellor, N N Mathur took the dais with the Registrar, Ratan Lahoti and members of the various University Councils to give away certificates and prizes to the graduating Class of 2010.

Justice A K Mishra, Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court and Chancellor of NLUJ presided over the proceedings along with Chief Guest, Supreme Court Justice Altamas Kabir.

Proceedings commenced with the reciting of the National Anthem, after which the Vice Chancellor delivered a welcome address and presented a brief progress report about the various changes in NLUJ and achievements attained by NLUJ in recent times. The Convocation was then declared officially open by the Vice Chancellor. Therafter, the class of 2010 proceeded to take oath and receive their certificates and prizes.

Aditya Gupta won both the Gopal Mal Mehta Memorial Gold Medal for securing the highest CGPA amongst students of the B.Sc. LL.B (Hons.) stream, as well as the Mathur Amar-Laxmi Gold Medal for securing the highest CGPA in his class, overall. Aditya was a student of the IPR Honours course and currently works with IP firm Anand & Anand. Speaking to Bar & Bench, he said that while he was honoured to be the recipient of these medals, his experience had been that grades matter only to the extent that they ease entry into law firms and no larger have bearing on the quality of work that one eventually does. He did, however, note that it is always beneficial to strengthen one’s knowledge of the fundamentals and commended the structure of the IPR Honours course as being well-suited to help with this. Aditya is looking at pursuing an LL.M in the coming years, and also participating in NLUJ’s Alumni Faculty Program where alumni return to teach.

Another student, Shashank Kumar won the Shri P.P. Rao Gold Medal (Vice-Chancellor’s Medal), awarded to the best all-round student of the class. Unable to collect his certificate and medal since he is currently interning with the WTO in Geneva, he did speak to Bar & Bench about what the medal means to him and his plans for the future. Shashank plans to pursue a career in academia and international dispute settlement. He also said that perhaps it was his openness to ideas and interest in the teaching of law which were major factors contributing to his winning this award.

Srishti Gupta (pictured along with Aditya, left) received two medals, the Sampat Raj Bhandari Gold Medal for securing the highest CGPA among those in the B.B.A LL.B (Hons.) stream and the Late Nanibala Mitra Gold Medal for the Best Lady Student of her class. She told Bar & Bench that while she does not think there is much to choose between male and female lawyers in terms of competence, it is undeniable that women are under great social pressure to balance both their careers and other responsibilities, and that she was happy that there was an award that sought to felicitate women in particular. Currently pursuing her LL.M at Columbia Law School, Shristi plans to eventually build a career in litigation in India. Like Aditya and Shashank, Srishti also wishes to teach law in India. She opined that the American methods of teaching were both radically different and more effective than Indian methods and that Indian teaching methods needed reform.

Apart from the above, Sakshi Khatri was also awarded the Trilok Chand Mangilal Gold Medal for securing the highest CGPA in the B.A. LL.B (Hons) stream.

The Convocation ended with an address by the Chief Guest Hon’ble Justice Altamas Kabir. While lauding the progress of legal education in recent years, he highlighted that lawyers have a duty to comport themselves in accordance with standards that are often more demanding than those applicable to ordinary citizens. He pointed out that common kindness and good character would go a long way in being a better lawyer and a better human being. While further noting with approval that many more career choices – were now available to law graduates, litigation also remained an attractive option. He refused to comment on whether one line of work is inherently preferable to the other, however, stating instead that individual choice remains paramount.

The Convocation closed soon thereafter with the recital of the National Anthem and there was a clearly observable atmosphere of merriment and anticipation for the years that lie ahead.

(Photos and inputs courtesy Dheeraj Aseri & Divya Srikanth)