Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh is set to get its first law academy, if plans materialise. Bezawada Bar Association (BBA) president A.K. Basha, completing one year in office, has proposed the academy to promote ethical legal practice, judicial discipline, constitutional values, and foster healthy relations between the bar and the bench.
Basha, elected to the BBA last year, was also instrumental in forming the Andhra Pradesh State Bar Federation (APSBF), an umbrella body of all bar associations in the state, where he serves as convener. He said the proposed academy will function in coordination with bar associations, universities, judicial academies, and other legal institutions.
The academy will impart training, skill development, and research in law. It will operate as an autonomous institution dedicated to legal education, continuing legal education, and professional development of advocates. “It will train and mentor judicial services aspirants, law students, junior advocates, and members of the legal fraternity. It will also help in legal drafting, advocacy skills, professional ethics, and judicial knowledge,” said Basha, the first BBA president from the principal minority community in nearly eight decades.
The academy will also provide free or subsidised coaching to meritorious students, economically weaker sections, women candidates, and physically challenged law graduates.
Basha noted that in the past year, the BBA conducted several initiatives, including setting up a replica of Sabarmati Ashram in Vijayawada-the first of its kind in the city-to promote Gandhian and secular values among youth.
