Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has expressed concern over the mounting pendency of cases in various courts, including the Supreme Court, and urged the government and the judiciary to ensure faster justice by addressing the issues pertaining to delay.
Citing adjournment of cases, he observed that justice was becoming costly, adding that there was a need to make policies that were not only legally sound but also morally righteous and socially just.
Addressing the students on the occasion of the platinum jubilee celebrations of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar College of Law, Andhra University, via video link, the Vice President said that ‘public interest litigations (PILs) should not become private interest litigations for personal, pecuniary and political interests.’
“However, there is no wrong if the PIL was for a larger public cause,” he said.
Gender discrimination
The Vice President asked the law students to be ‘the voice of the voiceless.’ “Gender discrimination should end and more opportunities should be provided to women,” he said and asked the students to ‘take up legal aid for the poor as a commitment’.
Describing his student days at Andhra University as ‘memorable’, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu recalled his association with the ‘Jai Andhra’ movement.
Recalling the names of some of his teachers, he expressed his gratitude to them.
“The naming of the AU Law College after Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who had fought all his life for social justice, is apt. It is good that the number of colleges offering law education is increasing. However, the emphasis should be given to quality of teaching and infrastructure,” said Mr. Venkaiah Naidu and hoped that Andhra University would reach greater heights by continuing to maintain high standards in teaching and research.
Education policy
Presiding over the meeting, Andhra University Vice-Chancellor P.V.G.D. Prasad Reddy welcomed the New Education Policy introduced by the Centre recently. “The State government has already initiated the process for its implementation. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in A.P. stands at 31% and the government is planning to increase it to 50% by 2029,” he said.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar College of Law principal S. Sumitra, High Court judges Justice T. Rajani and Justice B. Devanand, and prof. K. Gupteswar were present on the occasion.
