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‘Circle of struggle complete’: Pune lawyer with cerebral palsy set to become judge
Nikhil Baji said a disabled person needs to keep a positive attitude right from the beginning of his life without that one cannot survive in this world.
Meet Nikhil Prasad Baji, a 31-year-old city-based lawyer with cerebral palsy, who cracked the civil judge junior division and judicial magistrate first class exam conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) in 2019 and is set to become a judge.
Nikhil, a resident of Navi peth, said, “I was very happy after the results were declared. A circle of struggle is complete now.”
“A disabled person needs to keep a positive attitude right from the beginning of his life without that one cannot survive in this world. It is about overcoming the obstacles and maintaining a positive attitude all the time. If you have a positive attitude you can achieve any target,” said Nikhil.
Talking about his preparations and struggle, he said, “The exam is conducted in three stages — preliminary, mains and interview round. Since I was inclined towards Social Sciences and Political Science during my schooling days, I decided to work in the field of Law.”
Nikhil completed his Bachelor of Law degree (LLB) from Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) and returned to Pune.
“After coming back to Pune in 2013, I joined BE Avhad’s Law classes and started preparing for the exams. I attempted the exam for the first in 2017, so this was my second attempt. I could clear the exam because of my mentor Ganesh Shirsat,” said Nikhil.
Nikhil lives in a family of five in Navi peth with his parents, an elder brother and his wife. His father ran a business, but is now retired, and mother is a homemaker. His brother and sister-in-law are IT professionals.
Study routine
“I used to wake up at 4 am and study till 9 to 10 am. Then I would go to court for my practice, while on weekends I used to study the entire day. For the mains exam I took holiday for some days to give more time for studies,” said Nikhil.
“For the competitive exams, I started my study schedule initially with three to four hours daily and then extended it to eight hours a day. And in the end, it went about to 12 hours a day when my mains exams date were close,” he said.
Future plans
“I am waiting for the training schedule to be declared,” said Nikhil.
“I am looking forward to serving the Indian judiciary. I consider myself fortunate that I have been given a chance to serve the temple of justice. I will try to maintain the high standards set by the Indian judiciary,” Nikhil said.
Advice to students
“I would like to appeal to all the students who are preparing for the competitive exams that you should focus on the preparations and not the end results. It is the process which will develop qualities in you and the process should be given more focus and attention,” he said.
