DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 12 (MExN): The Nagaland Law Students’ Federation (NLSF) has reiterated its appeal for the Nagaland Government to establish a separate High Court for the state of Nagaland, a Government Law College and a Directorate of Prosecution under section 25 A Cr Pc in Nagaland.
A press release from the NLSF expressed concern that despite the passage of more than 57 years since attaining statehood, a lot more remains to be done in the legal field to ensure that Nagaland is at par with the rest of the states.
“The character and calibre of the legal profession is determined by the quality and standard of legal education. However, the importance of quality legal education is significantly ignored in the state,” it said.
There are three law colleges in Nagaland recognized by the Bar Council of India—Kohima Law College, Mokokchung Law College and City Law College. The NLSF said that education of law in the state’s law colleges are “mostly pursued by those students who could afford the course at the minimal fee and within the state.”
“To enable the interested students to avail education in law, the state law colleges are charging fee at the lowest as compared to the high and well settled law colleges outside the state. Pursuance of well law centric personalities is the priority of the state law colleges against financial independence,” the NLSF informed. It further noted that many students in the state who wish to pursue law are not able to afford the same owing to economic reasons.
It therefore reasoned that establishing a public law college in the State would not only serve the interest of the students in general and the law students in particular but would also be a sign of progress in favour of the State.
The federation however rued that despite repeated appeals over the past decades to set up a Government Law College, no positive step has been taken till date. “The lackadaisical attitude towards the law students by the state has proved to be the most profound show of negligence,” it stated.
The NLSF said that Nagaland has the capability to produce the best lawyers “who can represent in the High Court and the Supreme Court and even at the international arena, provided due importance is given to the subject of law.”
It reminded that in 2018 the centre had approved proposals for setting up two colleges for advanced studies; an engineering college and a multi-professional college (law, management and music technology) in the State. The NLSF however said that there has been a “profound show of negligence by the state even after lapse of 3 years.”
It urged that due importance to the subject of law studies must be given at par with other professional studies.
