Two TN tribal students crack CLAT, secure seats in top law universities

TRICHY: Two students from Tamil Nadu’s tribal communities have cleared the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), securing admission to premier law institutions in the country.S Ranjith, 19, from the irular community, studied at the Eklavya Model Residential School in Kumizhi, Chengalpet district. The son of daily wage labourers, he secured an ST All India Rank of 1,425 and gained admission to the BA LLB (Hons) course at the Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU) in Trichy under the 7.5% reservation quota. Officials said he is believed to be the first student from the irular community to clear CLAT.“He is the first in our family to study. When they told me he is perhaps the first person in our community to achieve this, there could not have been a happier moment in my life. I believe that when he becomes a lawyer, he will work to uplift our community,” said his mother Jaya S.K Sathya, 19, a student of the government tribal residential school in Innadu in Kallakurichi district, secured admission to the BA LLB (Hons) course at National Law University, Sonipat, Haryana, during the fifth round of counselling. A specially-abled student, Sathya secured an ST All India Rank of 2,355 and a PWD rank of 359. She too comes from a family of daily wage labourers, with her parents currently working in Mysuru.“We are extremely happy, but she is a little reluctant about going all the way to Haryana. It would have been ideal if she had secured a seat in Tamil Nadu itself,” said her brother Tamil Selvan.Sathya admitted she was anxious about adapting to a new environment. “I don’t know proper English. How will I manage Hindi?” she said.Headmaster N Saravanan said Sathya initially hesitated to prepare for CLAT. “We encouraged her because we knew she had the potential to succeed,” he said.Officials said TNNLU has only one seat reserved for scheduled tribe students. For the past four years, the seat has been filled by students from government schools.The state tribal welfare department said it had provided end-to-end support to students, including coaching, mock tests, counselling and assistance during the admission process. “Teachers escorted students to examination centres as many parents were working in other states. They may face challenges such as cultural shock and language barriers, so we will support them for at least a year. The department will also bear their educational expenses until they complete their courses,” a senior official said.State director of tribal welfare Annadurai credited teachers for the achievement. “The entire credit goes to the teachers who motivated and guided the students throughout the process. At present, 151 students across the country are pursuing higher education courses with support from the tribal welfare department,” he said.