Justice M. Bhaktavatsala

GULBARGA: Karnataka High Court Judge M. Bhaktavatsala on Saturday stressed the need for advocates to update their knowledge on emerging areas of crime and civil matters.Justice Bhaktavatsala, who is also the administrative judge of the Gulbarga District, was delivering a lecture on "Challenges to the Legal Profession and Opportunities" at the Gulbarga Bar Association. He said that like any other sector, liberalisation would have its impact on the legal profession too. Advocates should gear up to take on the challenge by sharpening their skills.

He said although advocates from foreign countries were not operating directly handling cases in courts, they had already opened their firms to give advice on handling cases in India.

He said advocates, particularly, youngsters, should seriously update their knowledge on judgments delivered in the old cases and also specialise in emerging areas of cyber crime. To specialise in these areas, the advocates should be well-versed with laws on information technology.

Mounting cases

Expressing his dissatisfaction over cases mounting in courts, Justice Bhaktavatsala said the Fast Track Courts were working overtime to clear the long-pending cases. The advocates should also cooperate with the courts to clear the pending cases and instil confidence in people.

Referring to the circuit bench of the High Court which would start functioning after the completion of the new court complex in Gulbarga, the judge said advocates working in the Gulbarga bar had a good opportunity to serve the people of the region.

Workshops

Dr. Bhaktavatsala said the Gulbarga Bar Association should organise workshops at least once a month on different subjects to help advocates know the latest developments in the legal profession and about handling different cases. He said it would be difficult for one advocate to specialise in all the fields including cyber crime, criminal law and civil law. He advised the advocates to gain expertise in one area.

He said there was a need to conduct legal awareness camps in rural areas, particularly in places where tribal people lived to make them aware of their rights. Principal District and Sessions Judge B.A. Muchandi welcomed the gathering and president of the Karnataka Bar Council Y.S. Sadashiva Reddy presided.

Members of the Bar Council S.S. Khumman and Basavaraj Karaddi spoke on the occasion. Earlier, Justice Bhaktavatsala was felicitated for becoming the first judge from the Karnataka High Court to be awarded a Ph.D. by the Law University in Bangalore.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail