Law students owe a responsibility towards tax payers whose money is spent on their education, says NHRC Chairperson Justice H.L. Dattu [21.06.2016]

Press Release


New Delhi, 21st June, 2016



The NHRC Chairperson, Mr. Justice H.L. Dattu today said that a lot of money of tax payers is spent on the education of the law students and hence they owe a responsibility towards them. However, instead of helping the people in their issues of litigation, many of them join lucrative corporate or law firm jobs doing mostly desk work on the computers. He said that corporate jobs may be well paying but the real thrill of the legal profession lies in the litigation side. Justice Dattu was speaking at the valedictory function of one month long summer internship programme of the NHRC.

He said that since most of the interns were the students of law, he expected them to make the best use of their exposure to various aspects of human rights during the internship by being compassionate and helpful to those who are in trouble and difficulty. He urged them to be architects of their fate and become not only good lawyers but also good human beings.




Fifty students, shortlisted from a number of applicants from the universities and colleges in different parts of the country, completed the internship. They were sensitized on various issues of human rights and also exposed to different facets of the functioning of the Commission. Apart from being encouraged to make short films on a subject of human rights, they were also taken for field visits to a jail and a police station. Four interns shared the first, second and third award of best interns having prize money of 15 thousand rupees.

NHRC Members Mr. Justice D. Murugesan and Mr. S. C. Sinha, Secretary General, Mr. S. N. Mohanty and other senior officers were present on the occasion. The outstation students are provided to and fro railway fare for attending the internship programme. In addition, they were also provided a stipend of Rs. 8,000/- for the programme. Students from Delhi and NCR region were provided a stipend of Rs. 4,000/- each.

The Commission organizes a month long winter internship programme also every year and hundreds of students have benefitted from these internship programmes over the years.
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