Graduates from School of Excellence in Law also eligible for Government stipend: HC

Students who had graduated from School of Excellence in Law (SOEL), run by Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, will also be eligible for government stipend of Rs.3,000 a month for first two years

Students who had graduated from School of Excellence in Law (SOEL), run by Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, will also be eligible for government stipend of Rs.3,000 a month for first two years of their practice if their family income is less than Rs.2.5 lakh per annum, the Madras High Court has held. Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy agreed with public interest litigant M. Karpagam, represented by her counsel R. Prabhakaran, that graduates from the SOEL could not be denied stipend just because the institution collects annual fees of Rs.80,000. The quantum of tuition fee paid by a candidate to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in law would be of no relevance as long as a candidate seeking the stipend fulfils all conditions mentioned in a Government Order issued on June 30, 2020, the Bench said. It pointed out that the GO does not specifically exclude SOEL students.