‘Law graduates must file PILs on ecology’

Panaji: The Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Manan Kumar Mishra on Saturday advised new law graduates/lawyers to file public interest litigations (PIL) to fight for environment issues.

This, he said, would give them the dual benefit of ‘serving the society’ as well as getting the much needed ‘name and fame’ during their days of initial struggle when finding clients is very difficult.

“You won’t require a client if you use the concept of the PIL which has evolved in India. For example, when you see that the Yamuna is being polluted, industrial wastes are flowing into the river, and the public at large is in danger, you don’t require a client. File a PIL in any high court,” he said, while addressing the inaugural session of a two-day International Conference on Sustainable Climate Action hosted by the India International University of Legal Education and Research (IIULER) at Goa.

Former judge of the high court of Allahabad and the incumbent chairperson of the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission, Justice K J Thaker cautioned the students about the murky outlook on the environment.

“We are oblivious to our acts that endanger the environment. We have also not learnt lessons from past mistakes in places like Uttarakhand,” he said.


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