Dr. Kranti Deshmukh has been working as the Principal of MM Shankarrao Chavan Law College, Pune, Maharashtra. She has done B.A., LL.B., LL.M, NET (PhD in Law) as part of her academics. She has been recognized as a PhD Research guide and PG Teacher by Savitribai Phule Pune University for the Faculty of Law and currently 6 scholars are pursuing their PhD under her guidance. Apart from this, she was also appointed as a Member of Syllabus Drafting Committee, Director-Central Assessment Program (LAW), Member of CAP Monitoring Committee, Member of Equivalence Committee, Subject expert of Law for the selection of Principal and Assistant Professor, Member of Local Selection Committee and Chairman, Paper-setter, Moderator and examiner for Law examinations by Savitribai Phule Pune University, Member of Research & Recognition Committee of Ph.D. Center and Member of Departmental Integrity Committee by ILS Law College of Pune, Member of Board of Studies in Symbiosis Distance Education Center of Pune, Member (Legal-Expert) in Ethics Committee by BJ Medical College of Pune. Also she has been invited as a Guest Person and Key Speaker in various national level seminars, events, refresher sessions and competitions. She has published 12 research papers and she has good experience in handling various departments like Moot Court Society, Debate Society, Cultural Society, State, National & International Seminar, Conferences. In addition to this, she has worked as a College Examination Officer, Custodian, Internal Senior supervisor, External Senior Supervisor and was invited as Legal Expert and Judge in various moot court and Debate competitions, Chief Editor for SCLC’ Journal on Contemporary Legal Issues and Souvenir of the National Conferences. Last but not the least, she has conducted National Accreditation and Assessment Process (NAAC) Banglore & MMMQ.

Marathwada Mitramandal's Shankarrao Chavan Law College, Pune

What keeps you connected with the education sector and how has your experience been so far with the Institute?

"My zeal and enthusiasm for educating students and youths has helped me stay associated here"

My experience with the institute has been amazing and very enriching and working as the Principal of the institution is an ongoing learning process for me. And since beginning I had a strong inclination towards the educational sector and I was always passionate about teaching young minds of our society. And fortunately I got an opportunity to work in the same with MM group which stands out in the educational sector nationally as well as globally. So these factors together have helped me stay connected with the education sector.

Being the Principal of Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s Shankarrao Chavan Law College, what are your responsibilities towards students?

"My prime responsibility is to ensure students get best law education, amenities and research facilities"

Being the Principal at SCLC, my ultimate objective is to provide such legal education and skills to students which can enable them to fulfill the national and global requirements of the Legal profession. And all our programs are skill-based and professional in nature. In addition to this, I am responsible for removing barriers of traditional teaching-learning methods and providing maximum practical exposure to our students required in the legal field.

Check Marathwada Mitramandal's Shankarrao Chavan Law College, Pune Courses & Fees 

Which extra curricular activities are organized by your college to enhance the skills of students?

"We regularly organize various kinds of competitions, counseling sessions and moot court sessions"

As we firmly believe that co-curricular activities are very important along with academics for students all around development. Therefore, our college regularly organizes various activities and events including Moot-Courts and Client Counseling sessions, Trial Advocacy and training in clinical legal education. And we also have special cell centers' through which training is offered to students for current legal developments like CARPAL-Research Center, Mediation Centre, IPR Cell, certificate courses and family counseling center. Last but not least, we conduct visits to the Supreme Court, High Court, District Court, prisons, NGO visits and competitions like Justice P.B. Sawant National Moot Court Competition, Late Shri Shankarrao Chavan Memorial State Level Elocution Competition, Legislative Drafting Competition followed by PG Department of Law National Conference and International Conference etc. Last year itself, we conducted an International Conference in collaboration with the University of Colombo of Sri Lanka, International Webinars with China, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Malta.

How does the curriculum of your Law College ensure the future preparedness of students?

"Our college curriculum is aligned with latest developments and requirements of society and industries"

We design the curriculum of our college after rigorously analyzing the students and industry requirements and making necessary changes in it as and when required. And our main aim is to provide best theoretical knowledge and practical exposure to our students and hence we follow a continuous assessment model where we conduct frequent internal tests, presentations, drafting sessions, personality grooming sessions and communication soft skills enhancement training programs. Apart from this, students are exposed to many activities to help them understand today's legal problems and discover innovative solutions for the same. 

How do you bring in a practical and industry oriented approach towards subjects?

"By organizing regular visits to SC, HC, DC, prisons and NGOs to enhance practical learning experience of students"

We encourage students to pursue suitable internships where they can work on real-time projects and get hands-on training to strengthen their knowledge. Also, we regularly engage them in practical learning sessions to help them understand the process followed in court of Law. In addition to this, we organize Supreme Court visits, High Court visits, District Court visits, prison visits, NGO visits and industrial visits to expose students to real time situations and make them learn how people and processes work together on a ground level. 

What approaches do you bring in apart from curriculum to teach the students?

"We motivate our students to do more projects and participate in field and industrial visits which we regularly organize"

At SCLC we encourage students for project based learning and also to participate in ongoing trials in the court of law and field visits which are regularly organized by our college. In addition to this, we have established Specialized Learning Centers to ensure both personal and professional development of students and educate them beyond books. 

What would you like people to know about your institute that makes it different from others?

"We offer finest quality Law education through our UG, PG and Doctorate courses and have best research facilities for students"

Shankarrao Chavan Law College was established in 2003, is affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University, accredited by NAAC and approved by the Bar council of India. College is named after its founder president Late Shri Shankarraoji Chavan who was a social reformer, visionary person, former Home Minister of India and twice he served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra. We offer a variety of UG, PG and Doctorate level courses in the discipline of Law. 

And to bridge the gap between students' skills and society and industry expectations, we are offering 7 different Diploma courses as well. Also, we have established the Center for Advanced Legal Research & Training in 2017 with the aim of providing skill based education to students, conducting research activities and for participating in the policy making process. In addition to all this, our Family Counseling Center and Legal Aid Center has been recognized as a mediation center by the High Court of Bombay and Family Court of Pune for providing free legal aid and counseling to society since inception of the institution and we are also working with official Family Counseling Center of Maharashtra State Commission of Women to resolve societal issues. And the things which make us different from others is our Vibrant Placement Cell, value based education which we offer to students and diligent faculty members who teach them. It gives me immense pleasure to tell you that 24 students of our college have cleared the Judiciary exam and are working as Judges. Due to all these reasons, our law college has grown leaps and bounds and became a preferred destination to pursue legal education in India.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see for higher education in general?

"Effective implementation of NEP 2020 in current curriculum is the biggest challenge in front of higher education institutions"

We always look at challenges as opportunities and in my opinion the biggest challenge before all educational institutions at present is the effective incorporation and implementation of National Education Policy 2020 in their regular curriculum. Because, presently the Legal education is treated as professional courses, however transforming Law programs into a multi-disciplinary course is definitely going to be a major roadblock. Therefore, to overcome these issues and massive reforms in the field of legal education in accordance with NEP 2020, we would definitely need the support and assistance of the Bar Council of India, which is also the apex body for governing legal education. Apart from all this, we also have to focus on providing multidisciplinary education using holistic approaches to address mental health problems of students.

Click Marathwada Mitramandal's Shankarrao Chavan Law College, Pune Placements

Any suggestions which you would like to give to the current youth and aspiring students?

"Respect your profession and choose the career which matches your interest and passion"

I would like to inform students that today’s world is very competitive and challenging, so they need to be extra careful and focused. Also, I would request and welcome this young generation to one of the most dynamic, versatile and Noble professions of Law. Lastly, choose your career path very wisely as picking the right things in the beginning will make your entire journey interesting and enjoyable.