‘RTI should be taught as certificate course to all students’: Sridhar Acharyulu

NEW DELHI: Mahindra University launched its School of Law in August this year with Madabhushi Sridhar Acharyulu as the dean. An acclaimed academic, Sridhar previously taught at the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad. He served as the Central Information Commissioner to the Government of India between 2013 and 2018 and delivered several landmark orders on transparency under the Right to Information Act. Sridhar spoke to Careers360 about the lacunae in legal education, the significance of Right to Information, and Public Interest Litigation in legal studies.

Q What, according to you, is the most urgent reform needed in legal education in India?

A. We are witnessing technological domination which is furthered by various factors, the biggest being the COVID-19 pandemic. In its midst, law schools have to gear up to meet this challenge. There is a paradigm shift in teaching practices as well.

There is a difference between online and traditional teaching. The interpersonal communication seems to be there in online classes but in my view, it is actually absent. Simple actions like asking questions and clearing doubts in an ongoing class have become difficult. You have to wait for the teacher to end the lesson to be able to ask questions which defeats the purpose of creating a dialogue in a classroom. Thus, we have to tune in our teaching exercise and develop our subjects compatible with the virtual teaching-learning experience. I believe students’ ability to focus in classroom teaching has been largely affected in online learning.

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We, at the university, have been constantly discussing with faculty how to change the style of teaching so that students get the optimal use of technology. Even if the teachers are trained to use technology, often students log in and leave the class midway. The engagement on the students’ part has been dismal. The technology allows us to keep recorded lectures which have on the other hand led to students not participating in classrooms. The students’ attitude towards listening to a difficult lecture has gravely affected legal education.

Q. The Bar Council of India has time and again pointed towards the declining quality of legal education in India. What do you think can be done to maintain quality education?

A. It is a systemic problem. For many single-college establishments, it is not economical to start just a few law courses so they try to offer more courses that are in great demand. This yields some profit that is necessary to sustain the institution. On the other hand, established institutions do not have a dearth of infrastructure.

The Bar Council of India has a pivotal role to play in standardising the legal education system within universities. Since a lot of colleges have failed to meet the basic standards it has led to a decline in quality. In the Indian legal education system, we have national law schools at the top, then private universities like Mahindra. We offer multiple disciplinary courses in liberal arts, economics, management, etc so there is a possibility of interdisciplinary activities.

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Q What kind of programmes and academic facilities will the newly-established School of Law at Mahindra University offer?

A. Mahindra University’s School of Law offers five years of integrated undergraduate programmes like Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law (BA. LLB) and Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Law (BBA. LLB) to cater to varied needs of the profession with distinguished faculty. We are also adding a three-year LL.B. course for graduates interested in studying law.

The undergraduate programmes are run with a multi-disciplinary approach to cater to the requirement of the field of law including litigation, judiciary, academia, corporate, legal consultation, immigration, public international law and private international law, policy engagement, and such.

For an exceptional law education, I believe, we need good teaching staff and a well-stocked library. We have already roped in 24 highly qualified teachers at the school of law. Almost all our teachers are PhD or at least pursuing PhD. Apart from that, only 60 students are admitted per class which is strictly on a merit basis. This closed student-teacher interaction provides undivided attention for students. For industry interface, we are actively conducting guest lecturers from various law firms, sitting judges, and other experts for students’ exposure.

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Q Do you think law graduates are job-ready in India? What kind of skills should they acquire to be able to start their career?

A. The main task before the law students is practicing law. All our efforts, as teachers, are directed towards transforming students in classrooms into persons equipped for courtrooms. When it comes to law schools, we do not have placements like engineering and management colleges. If they want there is no dearth of placements.

Today, law students must gain as much knowledge as possible through moot courts, mock trials, essay writing competitions, and debates. They must know how to present facts and evidence and build an argument on valid points. There are umpteen opportunities in public sector undertakings, law firms, corporate sector, judicial services, etc.

From my past experience in NALSAR, one-third of the students opt for corporate law, one-third pursue academics and one-third try their luck at becoming lawyers. However, there are several areas that are yet to be explored. One of my students wanted to spread awareness about land rights. It is a field that does not have many takers. But this student was dedicated to this field and specialised in land rights and laws in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Now, he trains government revenue officers and panchayat officers. Like this, there are many areas where there is a great demand for lawyers.

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In my view, there is a need to create awareness about the Indian Constitution, the Right to Information, and child rights. These are prime areas that desperately require fresh law graduates with enthusiasm and zeal to work. These are great opportunities to be of service to this country. As you have seen there are so many sedition cases, UAPA [Unlawful Activities Prevention Act] cases, and defamation cases coming up which law graduates should be cognizant of.

Q You are known for your judgment to uncover the degree records of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought through RTI applications. What according to you is the significance of RTIs and PILs in legal education?

A. Right to Information and Public Interest Litigation must be thoroughly taught in law schools. It is the backbone of our democracy. I think it should be taught not just to law students but to everyone though not a law student.

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I think RTI should be taught as a certificate course to students studying in other disciplines like science, management, engineering, etc. In fact, I am also planning to start such a certificate course at Mahindra University. This will be like a general foundational course for legal education, open to students of different disciplines. This course has to be offered in distance education form. There are UGC norms for universities to start distance learning courses, so we are still mulling over it. Along with an LLM and a PhD course, maybe in a year, we will start the short-term certificate course as well.