Foundation Ceremony of Establishment of Indian Institute of Law

Bhubaneswar: The foundation plaque of Indian Institute of Law (IIL) was unveiled by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, Judge, Supreme Court of India; Hon’ble Mr. Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Judge, Supreme Court of India; and Hon’ble Mr. Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Judge, Supreme Court of India in Bhubaneswar on 20th February 2021. Mr. Manan Kumar Mishra, Sr. Advocate and Chairman, Bar Council of India (BCI) & Bar Council of India Trust (BCIT); Mr. Ashok Parija, Advocate General, Odisha; Mr. Debi Prasad Dhal, Sr. Advocate and Executive Chairman, BCIT; Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Associate Managing Trustee, BCIT and Founder, KIIT & KISS and a host of legal luminaries graced the Foundation Ceremony of Establishment of Indian Institute of Law (IIL) by BCIT at KIIT Deemed to be University.

IIL, being set up by the Bar Council of India through its trust (BCIT) with the support of KIIT Deemed to be University, will be a model institute of law teachers’ academy for promoting continuous legal education and research along with skill development of law teachers and practising lawyers. The institute will facilitate young law school teachers of the country and advocates to enhance their expertise, professional skills and acumen. It is the first-of-its-kind institute in the country.

Speaking at the Foundation Ceremony, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Uday Umesh Lalit welcomed the establishment of the IIL and commended BCIT and KIIT Deemed to be University for the step. “Change is the only constant in life. Continuing education is important in every profession; it is part of everybody’s life. Perhaps, this is the first step which will again imbibe the culture when we will be having more and more such institutes, and more and more the idea of continuing education taking root in everybody’s mind”, he stated.

Hon’ble Mr. Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai congratulated BCI and KIIT for this very important step. National Law University in Bengaluru set up by BCI in 1988 brought a sea transformation in legal education and quality of lawyers. Similarly, establishment of IIL is also a milestone in the history of Bar Council of India, he said. He expressed confidence that the IIL with the support of BCI and KIIT Deemed to be University will produce the faculties who would provide quality education to the students throughout the country. It will also produce faculties who will imbibe the constitutional values among the students, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Hon’ble Mr. Justice V. Ramasubramanian said that there are currently more than 1000 law colleges in the country producing about 2.5 lakh law graduates every year. The IIL will address disconnect between academicians and professionals, he added.

In his welcome address, Mr. Manan Kumar Mishra said, currently there is no training institute in Law in the country to cater to the skill development needs of law teachers and advocates. He expressed his gratitude to Prof. Achyuta Samanta for his generous support to the initiative. KIIT Deemed to be University is providing all necessary assistance in terms of land and infrastructure for this one-of-its-kind institute, he mentioned. Mr. Mishra admired Prof. Samanta’s selfless service to the society through Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), which is providing education to 30,000 underprivileged tribal children in a fully free and residential setting.

“Establishment of an institute of national importance like IIL in Bhubaneswar is a matter of pride for the state of Odisha”, said Prof. Achyuta Samanta. Thanking the BCI for partnering with KIIT Deemed to be University, he said, “Though KIIT is a young university, it has been accorded ‘Institution of Eminence’ tag by the Govt. of India. KIIT is the Winner of ‘Awards Asia 2020’ in the category ‘Workplace of the Year’ by the Times Higher Education (THE). Besides academics and research, it has made significant contributions in the field of sports and social outreach”.

Legal education has transformed a lot over the last three decades, said Mr. Ashok Parija. “Today, along with engineering, medicine and management, law has become a preferred field of study for aspirational youths. IIL will go a long way in improving the quality of law faculty in the country”, he said.

Earlier, providing a brief introduction of the IIL, the legendary legal educationist Prof. N. L. Mitra said, the institute will professionalize the legal education in the country. It will be developed as an institute of national character with the motto, “Unity, Capacity Building and Justice”, stated Prof. Mitra, who is former Chancellor of KIIT Deemed to be University. He commended the BCI for the initiative.

Mr. Manas Ranjan Mohapatra, Sr. Advocate, and Member, Special Committee, Odisha State Bar Council proposed the vote of thanks.