College Experience: Life at Bihar Institute of Law (Patna)
The article 'College Experience: Life at Bihar Institute of Law' by Apurva Neel shares the various academic and progressive learning during the course of B.A. LL.B.
The article 'College Experience: Life at Bihar Institute of Law' by Apurva Neel shares the various academic and progressive learning during B.A. LL.B. course. College life is one of the most memorable phases of Life. Indeed, the experience that an individual gains help throughout his/her entire life.
About the College
I have completed my five years integrated B.A. LL.B. Course from Bihar Institute of Law, Patna. The “Bihar Institute of Law” (BIL) was established by the Law Society of Bihar in January 1984. The Bihar Institute of Law had a very modest beginning in 1984 on the campus of Miller School, Patna. The Institute shifted to its building at Raja Bazar, Ashiana More which has been divided into classrooms, Administrative Block, a Teacher’s Room, Director’s Chamber, a Principal’s Chamber, Staff Room, Auditorium, a General office and a well-equipped Library.
About Lecturers
Bihar Institute of Law (Patna)
I have experienced a very cooperative environment. My Principal (Dr Amrita) is an alumnus of Banaras Hindu University. She used to teach us Muslim Law, and how she used to take weekly tests made us remember Muslim Law easily. She always taught us that the road to success is always easy for those willing to do hard work. Our Assistant Professor of Hindu Law had the habit of teaching Hindu law with the help of day-to-day life and this truly helped during the viva exam of my final year of B.A. LL.B.
IPC was taught always co-relating with the films. Like the case of K.M. Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra with that of Rustom Movie, I felt that there could not be a better way to understand laws other than that way. Landmark judgments were always discussed and explained properly.
Jurisprudence, the basis for understanding the law, was taught by one of my dear lecturers (Amrita Shrivastava), who had completed her studies at ILS Pune and HNLU Raipur, she came to Bihar because she was a Bihari and wanted to do something worthful for her state.
Some of the Lecturers used to give us notes, and some used to dictate all the important points like that of Contract (by Dr Husna Ara) and Company Law definitely. While writing, we used to remember sections too. My classes on bankruptcy and insolvency were not interesting as other papers.
Company Law, Administrative Law and Interpretation of Statue were taught by our Assistant Professor Amiya Nishant, who used technical methods and books to prepare us well for exams. Even students used to score well on the surprise tests.
English (Prabhat Kumar), Sociology (Lily Dayal), and Economics (Nutan Bakshi) and various other lecturers during my five-year integrated course are unforgettable because of the clear concept of their subjects along with the motivation to do well in life. One of my Lecturers (Pramod Kumar) started his career as a lecturer of Political Science, and during my college days, he cracked Bihar Judicial Services, he gave the message while leaving the college to study well, and hard work always pays off. Constitution was taught by Mr Ranjan, who was a part-time lecturer along with a practising lawyer. He used to relate all the aspects of the constitution with the updated news. Although he is no more in the world, still his way of teaching always reminds me of him. The Law of Torts, taught by Sri Gopal Pandey, was really interesting and it made even the morning class energetic for the students.
I have participated in various speech and debate competitions which have helped to increase my confidence. I do feel you never lose; you either win or learn throughout your college life. The habit of reading bare acts along with books as well as case laws was inculcated by the teachers among the students.
Library
It is truly said,
“Libraries are our friends”.
I have spent various hours in the library of my college. I used to refer to books by various writers and prepare notes with their help. I believe referring to various authors helps in the compilation of good and informative notes for various subjects. Even I used to take printouts of important topics. So, I will suggest to young law students take the maximum benefit out of it because this gained knowledge is the real treasure of life.
Moot Court Competition
Ankur Sinha (Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune) was our mentor for the preparation of the memorials. Participating in Moot Court excels in both oratory and presentation skills. Our Director (Sri Arun Shrivastava) also played a key role in the effective preparation of the Moot Court Competition. I got the opportunity from the Bihar Institute of Law to participate in the National Moot Court Competition held at the Indore Institute of Law. Although our team could not win, we gained quite good experience, which enabled us to recommend certain improvements in the day-to-day activities of the college.
Internships
I have got an opportunity, with the help of college, to do internships at various places and learnt a few things from everywhere. I have done my internships at
- Bihar State Human Right Commission
- Bihar Land Tribunal
- Juvenile Justice Board Ghaighat
- Bihar State Legal Services Authority
- State Commission, and Consumer Protection Bihar, Patna.
Seminars and Workshops
Writing has always been my favourite task, and I utilized it maximum during my college days, although it was difficult sometimes to maintain it along with my academics. I have Presented the paper titled ‘Genesis of Increasing Crime and Atrocities Against Women’ at the UGC Sponsored National Seminar on Feminine Jurisprudence and Gender Biased Laws in India organized by Chankya National Law University and also presented a paper at the National Seminar on a Better and Fair Environment for Women organized by Chankya National University.
Dr Fr. Peter Ladis F of CNLU once came to a function organized by the Bihar Institute of Law, and still, his enlightening words motivate me. He said,
"The World is yours and the Sky is your Limit."
I have participated in Workshop on Child Rights held at Bihar Institute of Law with the joint steps of Bihar Institute of Law and SARTHI. I have presented a paper on 'We want what we deserve - an outcry for the human rights of women' at the seminar on Awareness of Human Rights organized by the Bihar Institute of Law.
My College Lecturers and professors have guided me in all my preparation, whether our college or any other college organized it. I have attended various seminars organized by my college, and received certificates along with some good knowledge.
Quiz Competition Organized on National Law Day (Bihar Institute of Law)
It was a wonderful experience to participate in the legal quiz competition organized on the special occasion of National Law Day and once also won as 1st runner-up.
Academic Achievements
With the completion of my five years integrated course in law, the law college (Bihar Institute of Law) organized an award function during our farewell, which was a new progress for the college. I won the best academic award for my academic performance over five years.
I would like to acknowledge my teachers and mother for making me rise well during college and providing me with every opportunity to explore ahead.
Conclusion
I have gained personal experience that a good supportive environment of college, along with your hard work, enables everything to be smooth for you. Canteen and sports facilities were not available during that time but the college must have progressed a lot with time. Your teachers are always the pillars of your success. I admire the Bihar Institute of Law for its role in shaping my career.
Important Links
Law Library: Notes and Study Material for LLB, LLM, Judiciary, and Entrance Exams
