Need for funds dogs future lawyers

Updated on: Thursday, June 23, 2011

They have crossed the first hurdle - that of getting coveted seats in the country's top institutions. However, a bigger hurdle awaits them now - funds to pay their fees.

The Times of India had highlighted the success story of Karthika Annamalai, daughter of a stone quarry worker who cracked the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) on Sunday. Karthika was trained by IDIA (Increasing Diversity By Increasing Access to Legal Education), a project where 100-odd students from several national law schools teach underprivileged candidates.

Karthika's mother works at Maranahalli Bande, Hennur. She earns a maximum of Rs 100 per load.

Eleven other students also got admission to these prestigious institutions after their training with IDIA. This includes five visually impaired children from Hyderabad and the son of a government clerk from Sikkim. The team trained 50 students.

With very few law schools offering scholarship schemes, the students are facing a roadblock. "IDIA helps scholars find finances for their five- year programme. Legal education is expensive and costs Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh per annum at each of the top law schools. Effectively, we have to find around Rs 15 lakh or so right at the start of next month to pay for their admission and first-year tuition fees. The real battle for us begins now," said Shamnad Basheer, professor at the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata, who conceptualized the programme.

Times of India

Need for funds dogs future lawyers

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