The Hindu |

“Be clearly wrong than deviously right” was Chief Justice of India S. H. Kapadia’s advice to practising lawyers at the third bi-annual convocation ceremony of the Indian Law Institute (ILI) here on Tuesday.

The ILI is a deemed university established in 1956 and its objectives are to conduct and promote legal research, to cultivate the science of law and to promote advanced studies in law.

The chief guest at the occasion was Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid, who delivered the Convocation Address.

The institute awarded the degrees of Ph.D. in Law to two candidates and Master of Laws (L.L.M.) to 57 candidates. Post-graduate diplomas were awarded to 668 candidates in fields like alternate dispute resolution, corporate laws and management, cyber law, drafting of legislation treaties and agreements and environmental law, human rights law, intellectual property rights law, international trade law, labour law, securities and banking laws and tax law.

“This day marks a watershed for all of you and I congratulate you and your justly proud families on your well deserved success,” said Mr. Khurshid addressing the students. “The Indian Law Institute has the unique character and distinction of being a confluence of the three branches of Government — the executive, the legislature and the judiciary,” he added.

Justice Kapadia said that while it was understandable that most law students today prefer to take up better paying non-litigation jobs, he expressed hope that younger people would join the judiciary in order to serve the country.

He emphasised the importance of research in the legal profession.

“Territorial and de-localisation are the concepts within which research has to expand,” he said. He further said the research done by young junior lawyers assisting senior lawyers was of immense help to judges.

“I have three things to say to those wanting to join the profession or wanting to become judges. The first is clarity in judgments and research material…the second is confidence about the principle on which you have to argue…and third is concentration, focus and dedication while practising in court,” said Justice Kapadia, who is also the President of ILI.

The dais was shared by Supreme Court judges Altamas Kabir and Swatanter Kumar, ILI vice-president and senior advocate Rakesh Munjal and ILI director in-charge Professor S. Sivakumar.

  Chief guest Salman Khurshid delivers convocation address

  This day marks a watershed for all of you, says Khurshid