North Karnataka’s first and the State’s fifth Government Law College has come into operation at Martur village in Chittapur taluk, about 15 km from here on Sunday.

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Shivaraj Patil formally inaugurated the Vijnaneshwara Government Law College at a function organised by the Department of Collegiate Education, in the presence of former chief justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court and former governor of Jarkhand and Bihar Justice M Rama Jois, Karnataka High Court Judge K Bhaktavatsala and others.

The other four Government Law Colleges have been established in South Karnataka in Kolar, Ramanagara, Hassan and Holenarasipur, also in Hassan district. The Martur College, named after the celebrated jurisprudentialist of the yore and the author of the legendary “Mitakshara,” Vijnaneshwara.

“Mitakshara” was the only system of justice prevailing in the entire country from 12th century, till India attained Independence.

Describing the establishment of the College as a historic event, Justice Shivaraj Patil underlined the need for law institutions offering quality education.

He noted that out of the 32 law colleges in Bangalore City, only about half a dozen were offering quality law education, while the rest lacked quality.

The Martur Law College, the result of the efforts made by Justice Rama Jois, offers five-year integrated law course for students who have passed PUC with minimum 45 per cent marks. Although the intake of the college is 60, only 15 students have sought admission for the first year.

At present, the College is functioning from the premises of Gulbarga University. The district administration has sanctioned six acres of land in Martur and after the completion of the building and creation of infrastructure, the College will be shifted to Martur.