Class Notes - 18th September, Wednesday, 2024 #
These are the notes from the classes held on 18th September 2024 for LLB 3Y students at Padala Rama Reddi Law College, covering Family Law - 1, Law of Torts, Law of Contracts, Environmental Law, and Constitutional Law. Notes are not exhaustive as there are other discussions in class, the subject related points are noted and elaborated with the inputs of the author to add clarity and make it easier to understand. Though vetted, notes may contain inaccuracies.
Orientation #
The principal came along in the morning and mentioned that she was inspired to take up law after watching the movie Justice Chowdary, featuring Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. She chose to study law at the same college we are now attending, Padala Rama Reddi Law College, and she is a specialist in environmental law. She talked about how the academic year used to start in December during her years in this field since she joined Padala Rama Reddi, but now it’s starting in September, and she said we are lucky. She also shared that Padala Rama Reddi Law College, founded in 1988, was the first private law college, started with the goal of making law accessible to the people.
Family Law - Ms Sriveni #
The next faculty member was Ms. Sriveni, who is teaching us Family Law. She asked each of us to reintroduce ourselves and emphasized that public speaking is one of the strong suits of an advocate. She explained that while NALSAR and Central Law Universities are fantastic for research, the magic in practicing law lies in local law colleges such as Padala Rama Reddi Law College (PRRLC).
Law of Torts - Ms Pavani #
Next, the faculty member to show up was Ms. Pavani. She explained to us about Torts, noting that Torts is a Western concept but is gaining prominence in India. She discussed defamation with an example: A says something negative or malicious about B. The class answered that B could sue A for defamation, but the answer was no, because there was no publication. In legal terms, publication means the statement must be known to a third person (C). If A only said something directly to B, it doesn’t harm B’s reputation legally. However, if C sees, hears, or reads about it, then it becomes defamation. She explained that we will explore this concept further.
Ms. Pavani also helped each of us introduce ourselves again and took note of the entire class cohort. She explained the concept of marriage and how it requires two people and “consensus ad idem,” which means a meeting of minds.
Constitutional Law - Mr Gangadhar Rao #
The next person to show up was the senior faculty member, Mr. Gangadhar Rao. He took charge of the classroom and began teaching Constitutional Law. He mentioned that the Constitution is the reason we are all sitting here peacefully today, as without it, society would be in strife. He emphasized that Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees us the right to life and personal liberty. He explained the significance of the Constitution and noted that 75% of the Indian Constitution was taken word for word from the Government of India Act 1935. Other provisions were borrowed from various countries: Fundamental Rights from America, Directive Principles from Ireland, Emergency Provisions from Germany, Fundamental Duties from the USSR and Russia, mercantile commerce laws from Australia, and the office of the public protector from South Africa.
He went on to explain that we are living in the safest period in history. What we read about kings and their kingdoms shows that kings who were mighty controlled the historical narrative. They destroyed their enemies and paid historians to write favorably about them, so the bad aspects of their rule were never recorded. Since the general public couldn’t read or write, there were no alternative records of their actions.
Mr. Rao also mentioned the use of languages in the courts, explaining that in states like Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, the legal language in the courts is the native language. However, in the Telugu states, English remains the legal language. He pointed out that a Government Order (G.O.) from 1972 attempted to change the legal language to Telugu, but it has not been implemented, and few people know it even exists.
Additionally, Mr. Rao explained that as long as one is an advocate, they will not be subjected to police brutality, as the Bar Council will stand behind any member who holds a Bar Council enrollment card. If police brutality occurs, the Bar Council can bypass all courts and cause major consequences. He also mentioned that he helps coach students for exams like Assistant Public Prosecutor, Junior Civil Judge, and Additional District Judge, which are open to us, subject to age limits.
Mr. Gangadhar Rao also mentioned that Supreme Court advocates, such as Kapil Sibal and Dushyant Dave, charge anywhere between 50 lakhs to 1 crore for one day to present in the High Courts or the Supreme Court. He went on to explain that the first three years of your legal career will be the most difficult. You will have to do a lot of groundwork and will not be rewarded much, usually only receiving basic conveyance money. However, after the first three years, you can start your own practice, begin to get cases, and do well. After 20 years of practice, you won’t need to do much — you’ll simply look at the cases and direct your juniors to talk to the judge or appeal for the case. By the age of 60, the money continues to flow in, and you don’t have to do much, just sit there and supervise.
Contacts I - Ms Radha Kumari #
The last person to come in today was Ms. Radha Kumari, who will be teaching Contracts 1. She explained the difference between agreements and contracts, emphasizing that while every contract is an agreement, not every agreement is a contract. She decided not to delve into further details, saying it would be too much information for the first day.