CJI BR Gavai shared how he barely attended classes, relied on friends for attendance, yet stood third in law exams. He told students that success comes from hard work, dedication, and commitment—not exam ranks.
Goa: Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Saturday reminded law students that examination results are not the only way to measure success in life. Speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebration of VM Salgaocar College of Law in Miramar, Goa, he shared his own student days in a light-hearted manner and gave an important message on hard work, determination, and commitment to the profession.
CJI Gavai humorously described himself as an “out-standing” student. Playing with words, he explained that “out-standing” meant he would often be found standing outside class rather than inside.
He said,
“Justice Mahesh Sonak, who is like a younger brother to me, has shared that… since Miramar beach is nearby, he was an ‘out-standing’ student. I must share that I was also an ‘out-standing’ student,”
Recalling his law college days, he added that in the first two years, he would often sit on the compound wall and rely on his friends to mark his attendance.
The CJI said
“Then in the last year, I had to shift to Amravati… In Amravati, I think I might have gone to the college maybe half a dozen times. One of my friends, who later became a judge of the High Court, he used to mark my presence,”
He further shared an incident from his final year.
CJI Gavai said,
“I will just give an example. When the results were declared, there was one topper… I don’t want to name him. Then, my friend… was second. I was third in the merit list, without going to college. Reading Jhabvala (books) and five-year solved papers. So, the student who was number one; he turned out to be a criminal lawyer, specialising only in bail. The second (on the list)…he became a direct district judge and rose to become a High Court judge. I was at number three… who was a lawyer, and today I am the Chief Justice of India. So, don’t go by what your ranks are in the examination. The examination results do not determine what success you will achieve. It is your determination, hard work, dedication and commitment to the profession which matters,”
Earlier, Justice Mahesh S Sonak of the Bombay High Court had also jokingly called himself an “out-standing” student. He shared how the beach was far more attractive than the law library during his college days.
Justice Sonak said,
“On a personal note, I have so many wonderful memories of this place. This place is hardly 200 metres away from Panaji’s famed Miramar beach. The attractions at the beach were, at that time, far more magnetic than the law classes or the magnificent law library that this college has provided. So, I must confess that we were more on the beach and out of the classes or the library. And in that sense and perhaps in that sense only, I could claim to be one of the several ‘out-standing’ students of this college,”
CJI Gavai, while continuing his speech, stressed that India’s legal education should not only revolve around National Law Universities (NLUs) and the CLAT entrance exam.
The CJI added,
“Nowadays, the focus is more on NLUs and CLAT examination. But I am sure that apart from NLUs, other colleges also produce good students. We have seen students coming from taluka-level colleges, who have reached higher echelons. Though NLUs are certainly important, they represent only a small fraction of the legal education ecosystem in India. The vast majority are enrolled in regular colleges and universities, many of which face challenges in infrastructure, faculty… and curriculum design,”
The CJI also repeated his advice that academic rank does not decide the future of a student.
He said,
“….I was at number three… who was a lawyer, and today I am the Chief Justice of India. So, don’t go by what your ranks are in the examination. The examination results do not determine what success you will achieve. It is your determination, hard work, dedication and commitment to the profession which matters,”.
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