Pune, May 6: Supreme Court judge Justice V S Sirpurkar on Sunday advised lawyers to study India’s ancient legal system and its concepts of justice to become good lawyers and judges while delivering a lecture on clinical legal education, at the New Law College, Erandawane, on Sunday.
Justice Sirpurkar said the first task before a budding lawyer was to ensure that he knows the country’s past, legal heritage and principles of justice. “India has a rich tradition of over 5,000 years. Has anybody bothered to study the legal system during Chhatrapati Shivaji’s reign,” he asked.
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Justice Sirpurkar said, “Passing examinations is important, but it should only be a means to a goal. Students should not feel that wearing a gown or a black coat will make them perfect lawyers. You should equip yourselves as lawyers, learn judicial ethics, develop language skills and keen power of observation. Clinical education starts from self-education.”
The judge said, “Dr Ambedkar was our modern Manu. He was the law-giver. He was the first to study Hindu law and understood Indian texts.”
Calling upon students to become judges, Justice Sirpurkar said, “A judge is the most powerful man in the Indian judiciary. Not even the President can tell a judge to convict or acquit a person. A judge has tremendous power,” he said, urging students to visit Supreme Court, High Court and district court to look at their functioning. Justice Sirpurkar emphasised that law colleges should regularly hold legal awareness and legal literacy camps.
In his address, principal Mukund Sarda said Justice Sirpurkar was the first judge to be elevated to the Supreme Court from the Maharashtra and Goa Bar Council. “It is an honour to welcome Justice Sirpurkar and his teacher A Lakshminath, vice-chancellor of the Chanakya National Law School, Patna,” he said. Lakshminath also spoke on the occasion.
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