Retd govt staff, 75, joins LLB to help have-nots

GORAKHPUR : Carrying a lunchbox, every day, he catches the local bus to reach college, which is an hour’s drive from his village. At 75, Suresh Chandra Pandey, a native of Indiranagar in Mahrajganj district, has enrolled himself at Manu Law College, Nichlaul, to give free legal advice to the destitute.

Interesting as that may be, it is even more fascinating that he has joined the college with his son, Vikash, 29, to pursue LLB.

A retired government official of the agriculture department, with a Master’s in agriculture, he now attends classes regularly and his peers address him fondly as Baba (grandfather). Students are pleasantly surprised to find a classmate almost the age of their grandfathers. “He is very co-operative; whenever we call him ‘Baba’, he smiles and embraces us with love,” said one.

Pandey’s motivation to take up this course was the injustice that he witnessed, almost every day. “During these years, I saw cases being thrown at helpless people, who neither have legal knowledge nor the money to hire an advocate.

After the completion of my degree, I plan to offer free legal advice to them, so that they can get justice easily,” said Pandey.

Vinay, his other son, an advocate in Mahrajganj court, describes his father saying, “For him, age is just a number. He got employed as the district krishi adhikari at 21. After his retirement in 2007, he started an NGO called Sarva Kalyan Seva Samiti to help those in need. In September, this year, he joined classes with my younger brother to study law. I am happy that my father has set an example in adult education.”

› During these years, I saw cases being thrown at helpless people, who neither have legal knowledge nor the money to hire an advocate. After the completion of my degree, I plan to offer free legal advice to them, so that they can get justice SURESH CHANDRA PANDEY