Toppers want to take up litigation

Speaking at the 23rd annual convocation of the National Law School of India University here on Sunday, Union Minister for Law and Justice D V Sadananda Gowda asked a troubling question to the audience on the disparity between students who graduate from institutions such as NLSIU and those who actually practise in law courts.

“Though you are the best of the best, why do you shy away? If you shy away from the battlefield, who will fight the battle,” he asked. He probably generalised when he said this. Had he spoken to some toppers in the BA LLB programme (2015 batch), he would have noticed the winds of change. A number of toppers in the flagship programme at the NLSIU are determined to take up career in litigation and not anything else.

With 14 gold medals, Yelamanchili Shiva Santosh Kumar, who is from Andhra Pradesh, topped his class. For the past two months, he has been working at the office of the Advocate General of Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad. “I want to create an impact on society and work for both social and economic justice. Practising law is not all about making money,” he said. He wants to specialise in Public Law.

Mansi Sood, who stood third in her class, not only won six gold medals but also a Rhodes scholarship. She will be heading to Oxford University,  where she intends to specialise in Commercial Law. “After two years at Oxford, I will come back to India and get into litigation. I have always wanted to litigate,” said Mansi who hails from Delhi. Commenting on her area of interest, she said that at a time when India was becoming a burgeoning economy, changes were needed in Commercial Law.

Jhanvi Sindhu, who got one gold medal, rejected an offer from a well-known company so that she can take up litigation. “I really do not want to do what most others are doing and instead want to litigate and specialise in Civil Law,” she said.

When Vansh Sharad Gupta, who came second in his class, was deciding on a career after passing class 12, his family got into legal problems. He said his experience during that time kindled his interest in law. Gupta, who is currently working as a legal researcher under a judge in the Delhi High Court, said he was in a dilemma on what to do next. Although he has an interest in litigation, he also has an offer from a London-based law firm, Allen and Overy. Vansh, who hails from Ahmedabad, is interested in Family Law.
Out of a class of 69, 14 students bagged gold medals.