Moot Legal Profession

ARMY INSTITUTE OF LAW M OOT COURT COMPETITION

(Delivered on 4.2.2006 at Chandigarh) Y.K. SABHARWAL, CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA  At the very outset, outset, let me begin by congratulating Army Institute Institute o !a" or organi#ing organi#ing an intellectually stimulating moot court com$etition. %rgani#ing any event, es$ecially one o such magnitude re&uires immense hard "or' and in$ut rom the aculty and students, ali'e. he Army Institute o !a" has "ithin a relatively short $eriod o time made its $resence elt as a centre or ecellence in legal education. *rom "hat I understand the college has ado$ted a $artici$ative teaching methodology "ith a stress on clinical legal education and etra+curricular activities ensuring that its $roducts, namely you dear students, are holistic individuals "ith strong oundations in la". It is al"ays a $leasurable e$erience to be amongst young and budding la"yers beore they enter a $roession that is characteri#ed by nobility, $robity and immense satisaction. oday, though very briely, I "ish to share some thoughts "ith you. !et me irst discuss some issues as regards legal education in this country. It "ould be stating the obvious by saying that in recent years legal education in India has undergone a $aradigm shit. e must than' -rovidence or situations "here admissions to la" colleges "ere ta'en as a matter o the last resort, no longer eist. *ive+year la" colleges have come to redeine and reine legal education in the country and its "elcome eects are being elt on those institutes "hich still oer !!.. as a three year $ost graduate degree. oday, the legal $roession is amongst the most desirable o vocations ma'ing admissions to tem$les o learning such as the Army Institute o !a" a iercely contested aair. At the same time it mustn/t be orgotten that this is ust a dro$ in ocean and giant lea$s have to be made to ensure the best &uality o  legal $ractitioners in the country. he alling standards o legal education in the country are not o recent concern. he !a" Commission o India/s *ourteenth 1e$ort com$iled under the aegis o otilal 3etalvad stated that the main $ur$ose o university legal education did not seem to be the teaching o la" as a science, or as a branch o  learning, but merely im$arting to students a 'no"ledge o certain $rinci$les and $rovisions o la" to enable

1 them to enter the legal $roession.  he 5niversity ducation Commission or the 1adha'rishnan Commission as it is $o$ularly 'no" made a very elo&uent distinction bet"een centres o learning in India "ith their counter$arts abroad in the ollo"ing "ords7 8In uro$e and America, legal education has long occu$ied a high niche among the learned curricula. -roducts o the study o la" have re&uently risen to $ositions o distinction in $ublic service or have amassed ortunes in the $rivate $ractice o la" or have ac&uired "ide re$utation as scholars "ithout entering $ractice. !egal ducation is on an elevated $lane and teachers enoy a high res$ect, $erha$s as high as or higher than those o any other ield o  instruction9 In our country, "e have eminent $ractitioners and ecellent udges9 he la" has also given us great leaders and men consecrated to $ublic service. ost cons$icuous o these is :andhii. ;ere the com$arison ends.  e have no internationally 'no"n e$ounders o uris$rudence and legal studies. %ur college o la" do not hold a $lace o high esteem either at home or abroad, nor has la" become an area o $roound scholarshi$ and enlightened research.