Law entrance topper seeks funds for course

CHENNAI: G. Selvakumar Immanuel of Mangalapuram in Thoothukudi district was broke. He had no money even to pay for his law course counselling fee of Rs 1,620. He was contemplating whether to attend the counselling or not when a relative came to his aide and assured him of the sum.  But at the counselling venue on Thursday morning, a pleasant surprise awaited him. He had topped the rank list among 4,996 students who applied for the course with 99.625 per cent cut-off marks. He received his seat allotment order from law minister C.Ve. Shanmugam himself.

“My dream is to become a lawyer. I don’t know how I am going to manage the expenses,” Immanuel said. He scored 1,100 out of 1,200 in his plus-2 exams and he was the school topper. He got the BA LLB seat in Government Law College in Tirunelveli. The youngest of seven siblings, Immanuel lost both his father Gnanaraj and  mother Jothi Santhoshakani. His father, a noon meal worker, died of jaundice in 2010. His mother Jothi Santhoshakani worked as a labourer in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme until she passed away in 2010.

His entire family is now dependent on the income of elder brother G. Arunkumar who works as a driver in a private bus company. He earns on an average Rs 10,000 per month. “My brother has to support another brother Vinodkumar who is pursuing his B.A. in Pope’s College in Sawyerpuram in Thoothukudi district. So, it would be very difficult for him to support me as well,” he said. Arunkumar (26) who drives a private bus between Thoothukudi to Tiruchendur said he allowed his brother to participate in the counselling as he was told the fee in Government Law College would be the bare minimum.

“I really didn’t have any money when he wanted to go for counselling. I gave my duty wages of Rs 600 to him. But it was not enough as the counselling fee was Rs 1,620,” he said. The annual fee for the course is Rs 3,500. For his food and stay it may come around Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 per year. “We need help either from government or from good samaritans for his higher studies,” he said. Selvakumar Immanuel’s cell number is 7871442734.