Dr. Benarji Chakka has been working as the Dean of VIT-AP School of Law (VSL) at VIT-AP University, Near Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. He has done BA., LLB (Hons) from Andhra University, LLM from School of Oriental African Studies (SOAS) the University of London, M. Phil and PhD in International Law from Jawaharlal Nehru University of New Delhi, India as part of his education. He has also completed a Postgraduate Certificate Course in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and a Postgraduate Diploma in French Language, Literature and Culture from the National University of Ireland (NUI) - Galway of Republic of Ireland.

He was a British Chevening Scholar at SOAS in 2015-16. During his professional journey, he worked as a Professor of Law and Dean (interim) at Alliance School of Law - Alliance University of Bangalore, Associate Professor of Law at Symbiosis Law School of Hyderabad, Associate Professor of Law and Registrar at National Law University and Judicial Academy of Assam (NLUJAA), Lecturer at School of Law - National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway and Regional Legal Adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Dr. Benarji has led Regional Delegation for South Asia in New Delhi, India and also worked as Research Associate at the Indian Society of International Law.

VIT University, Andhra Pradesh

What inspired and encouraged you to join VIT AP University as a Dean?

VIT is not an ordinary institution, it's a brand, fastest-emerging University of India and a place of eminence, which provides an inclusive, employment oriented and holistic education all over the country. Also, our university promotes research, innovation, incubation, and entrepreneurship and provides numerous opportunities to every student to grow on both personal and professional level and contribute to the development of our nation. 

Apart from this, it was me, who was given the responsibility as well as opportunity to start the new Law School at VIT-AP University and to become its Founding Dean. This assignment, for me, in every aspect is very exciting and very challenging because to start a law school in VIT which is known for its excellence in technology is not an easy job. Hence I would say, the driving force for me was the prestigious accountability itself, which was handed over to me to lay the foundation of a Law instruction and make it known to the world community.

How do you balance the needs of faculty, students, and administration as a Dean of VSL?

To be honest, students of our institution are very enthusiastic and energetic to learn new things and it is always fascinating to interact with them, teach them and learn new and interesting things from them throughout the process. And as a founding Dean of our Law school, I strive to provide holistic and futuristic legal education to young and ambitious youths and help them grab the opportunities which are offered by the future society.

Hence to fulfill the diverse and personalized academic needs of our students, we have a determined and dedicated team of Faculty members from across India, and all of them teach passionately to the students. Along with this, we never stay behind in giving them required platforms to showcase their unique skills and windows to learn more.

And scholarship too is available for academically bright and unprivileged students. Also, the Hon’ble Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Vice-Presidents and the Registrar of our university are always ready to support the endeavor, which they are undertaking and the University expects the Law School to be a catalyst for a social change and to provide better guidance to society. In this regard I am taking every step to realize the goals and balance the needs of all the stakeholders. 

Which factors or features make VIT AP University unique yet different from others?

VIT itself is a brand of eminence, hence it is important for us to maintain the excellence of being a top institution in the country. Further, the prime goal of our university is to nurture the talents of young minds so that they can become global legal professionals and change makers with a global outlook which is based on the ideals of social justice.

The factors which make us different and unique from others is our multicultural environment which contains well qualified faculty from across the country and students from the different parts of the nation. Further, the curriculum which we follow is based on a fully flexible credit system and provides various opportunities to students to select a range of specialization subjects and honors which are otherwise not available in other institutions. Last but not the least, we regularly invite renowned subject experts from all over the world and Legal Practitioners to offer the advanced courses to our young minds and train them on the contemporary issues and intricate subject matter of law.

How do you make students aware about the latest developments of the Law field?

The curriculum of our college is instilled and embedded with current developments, which are happening around the world. As we clearly observe that in the coming years, the world will change drastically with the emergence of new and disruptive technologies and advancement of new ones. Hence we always make sure our students get knowledge of those technologies and stay informed. Further, advanced and niche areas like Space Law, Aviation Law, Technology Laws, Maritime Laws, Real Estate Law, Fintech and Law, AI and Law, Cyber Security Law, Law and Development and Law Relating to International Inequality are offered to the students during their studies and we have an in-house strength of faculty to teach these advanced and current areas of laws. 

Lastly, it is very important to mention here that, if students are interested in learning technical aspects of technology law they can opt for reading computer subjects like Cyber Security, Network System and Artificial Intelligence, BlockChain Technology and other areas and after having a basic ideas about these subject, they can start looking into legal aspects of these specialized areas.

Check VIT University Courses & Fees

How does your institution foster good relations with leading industries for the growth and development of students?

Our Law School has an advantage of being in the close vicinity of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and the Secretariat of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Hence we regularly invite the sitting judges, Advocate General and Deputy Solicitor General of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh along with other well-known senior Lawyers to interact with our students through various events.

Apart from this, VSL invites Partners, Associates and the Legal Counsels of the reputed Legal Firms of the country and they engage with our students to impart the practical aspects and skills of the legal practice. To facilitate these activities in a systematic and tangible manner, we have signed MoUs with Top Law Firms, Regulatory Bodies, Research Organizations and Think Tanks. In fact these MoUs are giving us an opportunity to have more interaction and meaningful collaboration with corporate giants.

Last but not the least, our students themselves visit Legal Firms for internships, conducting research assignments, gaining practical exposure and undertaking judicial clerkship with Hon’ble Judges of High Court of states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana and Karnataka. Finally, the retired judicial officers from the district level regularly interact with our students to provide practical nuances of the legal practice at district levels, live projects to draft various legal agreements, petitions and other related documents to submit to the various courts.

How would a Law aspirant benefit from studying here in your VIT-AP University?

First and foremost, we provide holistic and futuristic legal education along with multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary subject offering. Our university, also, through its Seven Schools offers a plethora of courses in the discipline of Social Sciences, Humanities, Management, Foreign Languages, Engineering and Sciences. All our courses are based on contemporary developments of the outside dynamic and competitive world, where students are expected to undertake projects to gain thorough knowledge. 

Other than this, we have a strong network and cohorts of industry collaborations, where students undertake and work on live projects with the legal firms, think tanks and NGOs on a regular basis. Lastly, the best part of our institution's programs is that since we have signed MoUs with the reputed universities abroad, students get numerous opportunities to pursue a semester or complete a year abroad in a foreign University.

How would you enforce a practical and industry oriented approach towards subjects?

For the purpose of enforcing an industry driven and practical attitude towards subjects, our School does provide experiential learning to students through legal clinics, including Intellectual Property Rights Clinics, Legal Agreements Drafting Clinics, ADR and Mediation Clinics, Constitution and Public Law Clinics, Environmental Law Clinics and Consumer Protection Law Clinics. These are the spaces where students are encouraged to apply their classroom learning to real-world scenarios by drafting legal documents.

What is your vision for the bright future of VIT-AP School of Law in coming years as a Dean?

Being a Founding Dean of VIT-AP School Law, my vision is to make our institution one of the Top Law Schools in the world for creating future legal professionals. My objective is totally aligned with the ideals of Social Justice and to provide solutions to inequalities, which are perennially challenging the global societies.