SRIRAM LAW TIMES - A BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
After the exams, you
Law Times
JUNE-JULY 2013 Get set for CLAt
With eight months to go for CLAT-
2014, it is the right time to embark on your
This issue “serious” preparation for the exam, if you
have not already begun!
contains: Less than a decade back, one
month of dedicated preparation was
GET SET FOR CLAT sufficient for an above-average law aspirant
to crack National Law School Entrance
PAGE 1 Exam with ease, but today, even one year
of preparation cannot assure you of a
decent rank in CLAT.
Interview with CLAT
Topper PAGE 2 Let us analyze the reasons for this
alarming trend. Only 4,000 students were
News in brief appearing for law entrance examination
PAGE 3 - 5 those days [2004], but today the number of
law aspirants has touched a staggering
30,000! Secondly, students had fewer
Quiz Corner distractions then, but today i –phones and
PAGE 6 i-pads vie for attention leaving students
with very little time to study. Thirdly, those
days, students used to read newspapers
with a lot of enthusiasm, today they merely
glance through e-paper on their i-pads.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever”.
November - December 2012
will have all the time to get
anxious.
Exclusively for SRIRAM Students
Given the current scenario, what should a
student do to maximize one’s chances of
making it to a premier law school? The
rule for sure success is simple and
straightforward – “Work HARD with total
focus”. Make sure you are doing the
following on a daily basis:
->Read newspaper thoroughly and make
notes
Study G.K. for at-least 45 minutes
Work out math for 10 minutes (about
20 questions)
Improve your vocabulary
Also, ensure the following on a weekly
basis:
Practice past year papers of NLSIU,
Bangalore (from 1988 onwards till CLAT
2013 paper)
Work on Logical and Legal Reasoning
Iron out difficulties in English grammar
In addition to the above–mentioned
routine, periodical mock exams end
continuous revision will ensure high
quality preparation. This coupled with
sincerity and tremendous focus will
ensure a seat in the law school of your
dreams.
SRIRAM TEAM
- Mahatma Gandhi
 PAGE 2
JUNE - JULY 2013

An interview with Rahul Chandramouli, CLAT 2013 Topper, now in NUJS.

You have achieved a top rank in CLAT 2013. How does it feel?

It feels amazing to have secured a top rank among the 30,000 who wrote it and be
given the opportunity to join one of the most prestigious colleges in India.

What / who inspired you to consider law as a career option?

To be frank it is the protagonist of the American legal TV show, ‘Boston Legal, Mr.
Denny Crane who is my inspiration to do law.
When did you start preparing for CLAT 2013?
I started serious preparation from the beginning of 2012.

How did you juggle between your preparation for Board Exams and CLAT?
It was tough, but I made it a point to allocate some time every week even during my board exams. You don’t
need to do every subject all the time, just do a little of any one subject.

Describe the role played by Sriram Law Academy in your success.

My 2-year Sriram experience was a great one from the very first day of class in 11th. The faculty was great and
the class discussions were electric. The best part of Sriram is the accessibility of the teachers, mainly Hema
ma'am. They are always there to answer any doubt you have at any time, however basic your doubt is.
The material was very informative and was the key in my CLAT preparation. The icing on the cake is the mock
tests. The many mock tests we took put us at ease for the actual exam. I owe my success in CLAT completely to
Sriram Law Academy and especially Hema ma'am.

How did you manage to tackle "negative marking" in CLAT?

I followed a systemic method. I first answered all the questions I was very sure of, then I went to questions
where I could narrow my answer between two of the choices. And finally, I again went through the questions I
did not mark at all to see if I can try remembering.

GK is a vast area. Given that you had to work on both Current Affairs and Static GK, how did you go about
it?
Read the newspaper every day. Don’t just read the headlines, read the headlines, remember the names, dates
and places. In CLAT, there is nothing, which is useless information. Know everything from Kim Kardashian’s
child’s name to the death toll in the Uttarkhand floods. In the last few months, use the Sriram News updates
as your bible, Know every detail in it by heart.

Would you like to share some tips with our students who are gearing up for the 2014 examination?
SRIRAM Mock tests are the key to success in CLAT.

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”.
- Walt Disney
JUNE - JULY 2013
PAGE 3

NEWS IN BRIEF

1. Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer in the finals of the French Open in Paris.
2. Ratan Tata was appointed Chief Adviser to the board of the low-cost carrier Air Asia.
3. Sujata Singh became India’s third woman Foreign Secretary and took over the reins from Ranjan Mathai.
4. The Ordinance on the Food Security Bill was passed amidst opposition from all quarters. Under this new Bill,
5 kg of rice or wheat or millets will be given to a beneficiary a month at a discounted rate of Rs.3, Rs.2, Re.1
respectively. Thus, the food subsidy Bill will go up to Rs.1, 12,000 Cr.
5. The 20th Asian athletics championship was held in Pune in July.
6. Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador, to the United Nations, replaced Tom Danilon as National Security Advisor.
7. Nawaz Sharif, elected Pakistan’s Prime Minister to an unprecedented third term and took office on June 5,
2013.
8. The 39th G-8 Summit was held on June 17-18, 2013 at the Lough Erne Resort, a five-star hotel and golf resort
on the shore of Lough Erne in county Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It was the sixth G-8 Summit to be held in
the United Kingdom. The official theme of the Summit was ‘tax evasion and transparency’.
9. The glory of Rajasthan’s Rajput military architecture shone on the global stage with UNESCO granting six hills
forts from the State World Heritage status. The inclusion of the hill forts of Amber, Chittorgarh, Gangron,
Jaisalmer, Kumbhalgarh and Ranthambore in the coveted lists as a serial cultural property is an
unprecedented acknowledgement by the UNESCO.
10. Japan’s Mount Fuji was given world heritage status by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on June 20,
2013. The decision was taken at the annual 10-day UNESCO Conference held in Cambodia.
11. 29th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (India chapter) is to be held Kochi, Kerala in November
2013.
12. Government had constituted a panel under the chairmanship of Mr. Arvind Mayaram for recommending the
guidelines to liberalise the country’s foreign direct investment (FDI) policy. Committee in its report has
identified 9 sectors for mandatory Indian control with the ceiling of 49% FDI. These 9 sectors are: FM radio
uplinking news and current affairs (i.e. broadcasting), print media, commodity exchanges, stock exchanges
along with depositories and clearing corporation, power exchanges, petroleum and natural gas refining,
insurance, defence production and private security agencies.
13. Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Australian Prime Minister for the second time of the toppling Julia Gillard.
14. The 100th edition of the Tour de France, cycling’s greatest race began on 29th June.
15. Saina Nehwal is positioned at 3rd place in the latest Badminton World Federation women’s singles ranking.
16. Farm suicides touched 3,786 in 2012 registering an increase of almost 450, as compared to the statistics of
2011. Maharastra and Andhra Pradesh saw an upward surge.
17. India has become the first country in South Asia to ban the testing of cosmetics and its ingredients on animals.
Now, any cosmetic product which carries out animal testing will face action as per provisions of the Drugs and
Cosmetics Act and the Animal Cruelty Act.

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure”.
- Bill Cosby
JUNE - JULY 2013 PAGE 4

NEWS IN BRIEF

18. The first meeting of the Indo-Pakistan Joint Business Council was held in Islambad on June 29.
19. The United Nations Conference on Trade and development (UNCTAD) has reported that Foreign Direct
investment (FDI) inflows into India declined by 29% to 26 billion in 2012 due to slow economic growth and
high inflation.
20. P.M. Man Mohan Singh inaugurated the Banihal railway station and the Pir Panjal Tunnel on June 26 th. He
launched a rail project to connect Kashmir with Jammu and the rest of the country. This is the India’s longest
transport tunnel, which links the valley with Jammu. The rail link between Banihal in Jammu and Qazigund in
Kashmir will put on end to the isolation of the valley in winter, besides making, J & K an integral part of the
country’s development.
21. The United States Justice Department has charged the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor
Edward Snowden with espionage and theft of government property.
22. India’s first Regional Navigation Satellites system, IRNSS-1A was put into orbit on July 1st at Sriharikota. IRNSS
– 1A will provide accurate information on the position of cars/trucks, shops and aircraft vis-à-vis their
destination, with the help of a receiver. IRNSS will have constellations of seven satellites and the IRNSS-1A is
the first of the seven regional, satellite aided navigation system.
23. World Food Prize for 2013 has been awarded to Robert T. Fraley, Monsanto’s chief technology officer, Marc
Van Montague, founder of Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Mary-Dell Chilton, Founder and Fellow of
syngenta Bio-technology.
24. Justice P. Sathasivam took over as the 40th Chief Justice of India on July 19.
25. The Hongkong government rejected the requests from the U.S. for the extradition of American whistle –
blower Edward Snowden instead they allowed him to board a flight to Moscow.
26. Indian – American legal luminary Srikanth Srinivasan was sworn in as a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the D.C. Circuit. He has become the first Indian American judge in the second most powerful court of the U.S.
27. The 400 year old Padmanbhapuram Palace celebrated as an example of Kerala architecture is likely to
included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites, list. It is located in the Kanyakumari district. It was home to the
kings of Travancore for 200 years before the capital was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram.
28. The unexpected and powerful rains over Northwest India killed over 5,700 people and left 70,000 piligrims
stranded damaged temple towns and washed away roads and 21 bridges in Uttarakhand. Poor soil stability on
the steep slopes in this fragile region has been compounded by man-made factors like indiscriminate
deforestation and mindless construction are the courses for this national Calamity.
29. A serial blast took place in the Mahabodhi temple complex at Bodh Gaya.
30. India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives have signed the Indian ocean security pact whereby they will share
capacities and information to address threats to maritime security-such as piracy, terrorism and gunrunning in
the Indian ocean and to pursue sustainable development of maritime environment.

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other”.
- Abraham Lincoln
JUNE - JULY 2013
PAGE 5

NEWS IN BRIEF

31. The Madhya Pradesh government is all set to start building a Sita temple, designed in the South Indian
architectural style, at Divurumpola in Sri Lanka. Divurumpola in near Nuwara Eliya, in the central part of the
country. Sita is believed to have undergone the “agni pareeksha” (test by fire) at this spot.
32. Zubin Mehta, western classical music conductor has been awarded the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony.
33. The Supreme Court held that charge- sheeted MPs and MLAs on conviction for offences, will be immediately
disqualified from holding membership of the House without being given the three months time for appeal, as
was the case before. Further, the Supreme Court has held that persons in lawful custody whether convicted in a
criminal case or otherwise cannot contest elections.
34. Former World Junior Champion Abhijeet Gupta won the 19th Common Wealth Chess championship at Port
Elizabeth in South Africa.
35. The monsoon session of Parliament will be held August 5 to 30, 2013.
36. In order to boost foreign investment, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in key sectors has been increased. In
telecom, the FDI limit has been increased from 74% to 100%. Similarly, the government liked the 26% FDI
limit in the insurance sector to 49% under the automatic approval rate.
37. R T I activist and Magsaysay awardee Aruna Roy has opted out of the National Advisory Council.
38. The 23st Rajiv Gandhi National Sadhbhavna Award for outstanding contribution towards promotion of
communal harmony, peace and good will to sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.
39. Telangana was declared India’s 29th State. It will have 10 districts and Hyderabad will be the common capital
for 10 years.
40. Bombay High Court held the probe by two-member panel by the BCCI to be illegal.
41. Amar Gopal Bose, Indian American entrepreneur and academic behind the revolutionary sound systems of
Bose Corporation, died on July 12 in Wayland, Massachusetts.
42. Andy Murray defeated top seed Novak Djokovic in the final at Wimbledon to become the first British male
singles champion since Fred Perry in 1936.
43. A solar powered aircraft, ‘The Solar Impulse’ completed the final leg of journey of its maiden journey.
44. Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo will take over as the chief of the World Trade Organization.
45. R. Chandrashekhar would take over as the next President of NASSCOM with effect from January 2014
46. India ranked low at 141 in the 2013 Global Peace Index (GPI) that measured peace in 162 countries. The
countries were assessed on 22 qualitative and quantitative indicators of the absence and fear of violence.
47. India bid adieu to ‘Telegram service’ on July 15, one of India’s oldest communication service. The first telegram
was sent between Kolkata and Diamond circle in 1850. The service was opened for the general public in
February 1855.
48. France’s Marion Bartoli won her maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon.
49. ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, a biopic on legendary athlete Milkha Singh was granted tax exemption by a few states
like Maharashtra and .
50. Christopher Froome won the 100th Tour de France, one of cycling’s biggest race.
51. Shane Warne, Australian spinner was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
52. Shalini Singh, a Deputy Editor with The Hindu has bagged the prestigious Prem Bhatia Award for Political
Reporting- 2013
53. Supreme Court declared the National Eligibility-cum- Entrance Test (NEET) unconstitutional.
54. Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand has been recommended for the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
55. Sharad Kumar, senior IPS officer was appointed the new chief of the National Investigation Agency(NIA)

“If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory”.
- William Hazlitt
JUNE - JULY 2013
PAGE 6

Quiz Corner

1. As per a report released by UN, titled “The World Population Prospects :The 2012 Revision”, by which year will
India become the most populous country?
2. ______ become the 28th member of the European Union (EU)
3. Which world-renowned India – born sculptor was recently conferred knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II?
4. Which Indian architectural marvel made it to the World Heritage Site list in 2013?
5. Which Indian World Heritage Site was ravaged by a serial blasts in July?
6. What distinction did legal luminary Srikanth Srinivasan achieve recently?
7. Who recently became the first French Woman to win a Grand slam singles title since Amelie Hauresmo in
2006?
8. Who has been elected as the 12th President of Pakistan?
9. Indian Ocean Security Pact is a tripartite agreement on maritime cooperation to secure sea routes in the Indian
Ocean region. Name the countries which recently signed it
10. Ustad Amjad Ali khan was honoured with which prestigious award?
11. Who recently took change as the new Foreign Secretary of India?
12. Which prestigious award was conferred on Ms.Shalini Singh, Deputy Editor, The Hindu?
13. Who heads the committee set up to recommend guidelines to liberalize Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy?
14. Name India’s meteorological satellite which was launched aboard a European rocket from the spaceport at
Kourou, French Guiana.
15. Name the autobiography of Milkha Singh, co-authored by Sonia Sanwalka.
6. He become the first Indian-American
judge in the US court of Appeals for
Ranthambore, Jaisalmar, Gagaron

10. Rajiv Gandhi Sadh Bhavna Award

9. India, Sri Lanka and Maldives
5. Bodh Gaya Temple complex
(Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh,
4. Six hill forts of Rajasthan

15. The Race of My Life

12. Prem Bhatia award
8. Mamnoon Hussian

13. Arvind Mayaram

the D.C-Circuit

11. Sujatha Singh

7. Marion Bartoli
3. Anish Kapoor

and Amber)

14. INSAT – 3D
1. R2028
2. Crotia

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out”.
- Robert Collier