Nearly 1700 students graduate from NLSIU, 20 bag gold medals

A total of 43 gold medals were awarded to 20 graduates across academic programmes at the National Law School of India University's (NLSIU) 31st annual convocation on Saturday. 

Two Bachelor of Arts and Laws (Honours) graduates Jwalika Balaji and Vidisha Singh bagged six medals each. 

A total of 1,699 students graduated on the day, including 1,490 students from two batches of the university’s online and hybrid professional and continuing education (PACE) programmes. Fourteen best performing students across the two batches in each of the Post Graduate Diploma programs were awarded certificates for their achievements. 

Eight PhD scholars were awarded their Doctorate of Philosophy — five in absentia. Fifty-nine students graduated with a Master’s of Public Policy, 68 with a Master of Laws (LLM), and 74 with a Bachelor of Arts and Laws (Honours). 

The celebratory atmosphere at the convocation was unmatched. 

Graduates received their degrees from the Chancellor of the university, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, amidst thunderous applause and cheers from their friends and family. The outgoing BA LLB (Hons) batch displayed the most infectious enthusiasm, loudly cheering for each of their classmates receiving their degrees onstage. 

Tamil Nadu native Jwalika Balaji, who won six gold medals, noted that the NLSIU enabled her to explore her multifaceted interests but she was focused on exploring human rights and family law in her classes. Now, her eyes were set on academia. “I am going to Oxford next month to do my Master’s in Law,” she said. 

Anchal Bhatheja, a visually-impaired graduate hailing from Bathinda, Punjab, explained that she wanted to work in academia, intersecting public law, jurisprudence and constitutional law. "Shifting here from a sheltered environment was a very big transition for me but with time I picked up my cane and started walking on my own," she explained. 

Families overjoyed

The family of Girija Bhosale, co-president of the Student Bar Association who also delivered the graduating student address, couldn’t hide their excitement talking about the first-generation lawyer in their family. 

“Ever since she decided in 9th grade that she would take up law, she was adamant about getting into NLSIU. Now she has received a clerkship offer at the Supreme Court,” said her mother. 

The family hails from Karad, Maharashtra. Girija studied in a Marathi-medium school until grade 10, following which, she moved to Pune to study at Fergusson College. “She took up a crash course at a local academy and then did another course at Pune,” said Arya, her sister, who is in the merchant navy. 

Another family came down from Kolkata for their daughter Anupa Banerjee, who was the best performing student in the PG Diploma in Consumer Law and Practice. “She has pursued her diploma while practising as an advocate at the Kolkata High Court advocate for over 18 years now. She is also raising two children. We are very proud of her,” said her father Ashim Kumar Banerjee.