Level of success is decided by hard work and commitment to profession, not by exam score: CJI Gavai

Panaji: Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Saturday said the level of success in professional life was not determined by examination results but by determination, hard work, dedication and commitment to work, and recalled that he was a bright student but would skip classes.

Speaking during the golden jubilee celebration of V M Salgaocar College of Law at Miramar near Panaji, he noted that the legal education system has taken a paradigm shift.

"Don't go by what your ranks are in the examination as these results don't determine what level of success you will lead to. It is your determination, hard work, dedication and commitment to the profession that all matters," he said in his address to the students of the law college.

CJI Gavai said he was an outstanding student, but would skip classes. "But don't try to imbibe (emulate) us," he added.

He recalled that when he was studying in Government Law College in Mumbai, he used to skip classes and sit on the college's compound wall, depending on the friends who would mark his presence in the classroom.

"In the last year (of law degree), I had to shift to Amravati as my father was the chairman of the (Maharashtra) legislative council. We did not have a house in Mumbai. When I was in Amravati, I must have gone to the college only about half a dozen times. One of my friends who later on became a judge of the high court, used to mark my presence," the CJI said.

CJI Gavai's father, late R S Gavai, founder of the Republican Party of India (Gavai), was chairman of the Maharashtra legislative council from 1978 to 1982. He later became the Governor of Bihar, Sikkim and Kerala.

The CJI further said the student who topped the results went on to become a criminal lawyer, while the second-rank holder became a high court judge.

"And the third one was me, who is now the Chief Justice of India," he said.

He said that he stood third in the merit list without going to the college, but kept reading books and solved the exam papers of five years.

Referring to the students, the CJI said, "Now you are fortunate enough that with the advent of a five-year course, the legal education system has taken a paradigm shift." "When I used to preside over moot courts as a judge of the Bombay High Court and listen to the arguments of the students, I would sometimes feel that high court lawyers should be made to attend the moot courts and made to learn from the young lawyers how to argue in the court," he added.

According to the CJI, the practical-oriented training provided today helps students build their career as lawyers.

"We have a lot of interns and the depth of knowledge they have is something one must try to emulate," he said.

Speaking about the issues faced by junior lawyers, he said the stipend paid to some of them by the seniors is meagre, which makes it difficult for them to survive.

CJI Gavai said the benefits of legal aid should reach the remotest part of the country.

"We tried to percolate because unless citizens know they have the right to legal remedy, the remedy or rights would be of no use to them," he said.

A large number of law students are enrolled in the colleges and universities across the country, many of which face challenges in infrastructure, faculty quality and curriculum design. Therefore, the stakeholders should focus on strengthening legal education throughout the country, the CJI noted.