Law students protest move to shift college campus

Chennai: Anticipating a shift of the Ambedkar Government Law College from its premises beside the Madras high court to Pudupakkam in Kancheepuram, and Tiruvalangadu in Tiruvallur, around 400 students of the college have been protesting on the premises of the institution.
As per directions of the Justice Shanmugam commission, the state government has planned to shift the premises of the college to these locations. While the five-year course students are to be shifted to the premises in Kancheepuram, the three-year course students would be shifted to Tiruvalangadu, where new buildings have been constructed. This was after the 2008 law college students violence, which spilled over to the roads. The college has 2,400 students.

A section of the students are opposed to this decision. “Having a college beside the high court is beneficial for us, as we can observe the court’s working everyday,” said P Siva, a first year LLB student at the college.

A number of girl students are also protesting, which the students claim, is a first in the college’s history. Leaders from fringe political parties have visited the campus to show solidarity with the students.

Observers from the legal field say that the move to shift is a pragmatic decision, as the frequent protests of students create law and order problems, impeding movement to the court. Given the legal complications, the advocates who spoke to TOI were unwilling to come on record.

“Unlike students in a medical college, who need a hospital in the complex to get practical knowledge, there is no such compulsion for law students. But the government could have handled the situation better. The new college campuses are too far and give a feeling that the students have been thrown out,” a legal luminary said.