In a bid to provide a platform to inculcate the spirit of public service among the buddy lawyers, Xavier Law School (XLS) of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata inaugurated the Legal Aid Clinic on August 25, 2022. The clinic has been named as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Legal Aid Clinic as an honour to the great Indian personality, who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution.

Rev. Fr. John Felix Raj, S.J. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK greeted Nabanita Ray, Ld. District and Sessions Judge and Chairman, District Legal Services Authorities, North 24 Parganas who inaugurated the legal clinic. Mr. Soumen Sarkar, Additional District and Sessions Judge and Secretary-in-charge, District Legal Services Authorities, North 24 Parganas was also present in this grand occasion.

In his inaugural address to the audience, Fr. Raj shared the objectives to set up this centre to enable the students to learn law in action through the empowerment of the community at large. He also said that the centre aims at providing legal help, education to the needy and looks forward to instil the essentials of law among the deprived.

Ld. Judge Nabanita Ray gave her valuable advice on how to ensure proper functioning of the clinic. She suggested that the clinic would be manned by the paralegal volunteers of the District Legal Services Authorities every alternative Saturday. The paralegal volunteer or lawyer deputed to the clinic would attempt to amicably resolve the pre-litigation disputes brought to the clinic. It would help people of the nearby villages to solve their legal problems free of cost. Villagers of the nearby villages namely Kulberia, Kathalberia and Dharmatalla Pachuria attended this programme.

Dr. Ranjeeta Mukherjee