When I was studying humanities in Plus Two, I got acquainted with human rights, jurisprudence and other socio-political issues. Since then I developed an interest in representing all those who had been denied justice owing to reasons ranging from socio-economic to political. I idolised eminent female advocates and judges, from Justice Leila Seth to Justice Fathima Beevi. I looked up to female advocates whose names were associated with top-notch cases, such as Deepika Singh Rajawat, Menaka Guruswamy, Arundhati Katju and Mishi Choudhary. I knew studying law would allow me to be vocal about my stance on different issues.
When I first read the Bar Council of India’s notice last week, I took sometime to reason how student-friendly it would be. The BCI’s suggestion of online examinations is based on an assumption that all students have stable and secure Internet connections. Many institutions have started online classes, including Calcutta University (CU). But whereas total class strength is 110-120, the average attendance is 70-75 because many students cannot afford Internet connectivity.
We belong to a government institution where the fees are as low as Rs 120 a month and we get these seats on the basis of merit. It is not difficult to understand that there are students from economically weaker sections who cannot afford the Internet. For them, a teacher calling for a few minutes to explain a lesson is feasible. But here we are dealing with an examination that would determine our career.
As an alternative, a project or research paper can be submitted, which I feel, given the status quo, is more convenient. But the problem is that they are presuming that all students will have access to the study material they require. Law is not limited to one book or one case; you have to consult numerous ones before coming up with a befitting answer to a reasoning in a case or judgment. Also, owing to the expenses of buying a physical book, students often prefer borrowing.
The suggestion of offline exams on the premises of an institution that has maintained safety protocols will still pose a threat because the students will have to travel to reach the institution concerned.
The law faculty at CU has always conducted examinations in the old annual system, which causes a delay of 2-3 months in the semester examinations. Normally, end-semester exams are conducted during December/January for odd semester and in May/June for even semester. However, our odd semester exams are conducted in April/May and even semesters in August/September. So we have our examinations well after every other college in the country. The only saving grace is that no written exam is conducted for the 10th semester (only project submission and viva) and the authorities tend to expedite the course. The students graduate around August or September, which is still late compared to the rest of the institutions. This has been affecting career prospects of graduates from our department for several years now.
I feel really upset because law is a professional course and it takes considerable time to get a bachelor’s degree. I spoke to my seniors who are final-year students and their accumulated pressure is unimaginable. After all these years of work, it was their turn to graduate and flourish. Their plans for their careers are now on hold for the foreseeable future. I can only sympathise with them. But being a budding lawyer, it is very worrisome. This can happen to me too.
(As told to Manasi Shah)
