“Go With Purpose, Not Pressure”: CJI Gavai Urges Law Graduates To Rethink Foreign LLMs Funded By Hefty Loans
Delivering the 22nd Convocation Address at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, Chief Justice of India Bhushan R. Gavai issued a sharp and timely caution to young law graduates against succumbing to social and professional pressure to pursue foreign LLMs funded through exorbitant loans.
In a reflective speech, the CJI said the pursuit of a foreign degree has, over time, become “a symbol. A brand. A passport to validation.” He continued: “If you wish to go — go. It broadens your horizons. It teaches you how the world thinks. But please, go with scholarship and funding. Go with purpose. Not pressure.”
Expressing concern over students taking educational loans amounting to Rs. 50–70 lakh, Chief Justice Gavai added, “Do not put yourself or your family under the burden of loans amounting to 50–70 lakhs just for a foreign degree. A foreign degree alone is not a stamp of your worth. Don’t take this decision in a reflex of thought or under peer pressure. What happens next? Years of debt. Anxiety. Career decisions made under financial burden. Do not mistake urgency for progress.”
Instead, he encouraged graduates to consider investing even a portion of that amount into their own legal practice in India. “A small portion of it can be used as an investment to start your independent practice or build a chamber. And later, when you are stable, go abroad for studies. There is no age bar to learn. Go abroad not to escape, but to expand,” he said.
Chief Justice Gavai connected the foreign education trend to a deeper structural issue: the perceived lack of confidence in domestic postgraduate legal education. “We must ask: Why do so many feel they have to cross oceans to find intellectual stimulation, academic mentorship, or a meaningful platform for their research?”
His address further criticised the limited institutional support for returning scholars, pointing to “unwelcoming, under-resourced, or closed” academic spaces and a lack of transparent hiring processes. He called for long-overdue reform: “If we want to keep our best minds, or bring them back, we must build nurturing academic environments, offer transparent and merit-based opportunities, and most importantly, restore dignity and purpose to legal research and teaching in India.”
The CJI’s remarks resonated in a country where international legal education is often viewed as a marker of success - frequently at the cost of financial and mental strain. His message was clear: “Love your work enough to build it before you brand it.”