75-yr-old enrolls in law course to serve poor, needy

Gorakhpur: A strong inclination for learning and serving the poor inspired a 75-year-old man to take admission in a law course at a college in Nichloul, Maharajganj district. Suresh Chandra Pandey, who lives up to the dictum of age just being a number, has enrolled in the course along with his son.

Pandey, a retired agriculture officer, says that he is studying law to provide free legal consultation to the poor and for him learning law is a ‘tapasya’.

Pandey completed his post-graduation in agriculture science in 1967 and got job in agriculture department and was posted as agriculture officer in Azamgarh when he retired.

“I am not interested in money-making at this stage of life and my goal is to serve the society. Even seven decades after independence, very less people are aware of law and the poor cannot hire an advocate, so I decided to serve the society after studying law. I have taken admission in LLB in a college in Maharajganj along with my 28-year-old son, Vikas Pandey.”

Pandey recalled that the plight of his poor neighbor, whose land was encroached by some powerful people, proved to be ther turning point. “One of my neighbours came to our house and started crying as some powerful people of the area had grabbed his land. My wife served him food and asked me to help him. Then I decided to study law and provide free legal service to the poor and needy.” Pandey’s elder son is an advocate and practices in civil court of Maharajganj district.

“My father studies as earnestly as a high school boy. He also participates in cultural programmes and gave a speech on Teacher’s Day,” says his son.