New Prafulla Kumar Dhal Memorial Moot Court Hall Inauguration
The New Prafulla Kumar Dhal Memorial Moot Court Hall was inaugurated on 19th August 2023 by the 33rd Chief Justice of Orissa High Court, Hon’ble Justice Subhasis Talapatra, at the University Law College. This moot court hall was dedicated to the late Prafulla Kumar Dhal, a distinguished legal luminary.
Born in May 1924 to the late Girdhari Dhal and the late Hiranmayee Devi in the village of Kumbhuka in the Jaipur district, Prafulla Kumar Dhal was a beacon of legal excellence. After completing his schooling at Ravenshaw Collegiate School, Cuttack with distinction, he pursued higher education at the prestigious Ravenshaw College, graduating with Sanskrit honors in first class. He then studied law at M.S. Law College, standing first in his batch.
Upon completion of his studies, he joined the chamber of the then-distinguished lawyer, the late Raibahadur Chintamani Acharya. To nurture his professional qualities and inspire fresh talents, he was a part-time lecturer at M.S. Law College for 17 years. Initially practicing both civil and criminal law, he later focused on the criminal side, demonstrating extraordinary caliber in conducting criminal cases. His unique achievements led him to be described as a leading luminary of the criminal bar by then Chief Justice of Odisha High Court, Justice B.L. Hansaria, and he was felicitated by the then Chief Justice of Supreme Court, Justice J.S. Varma.
In addition to being a member of the disciplinary committee of the Odisha State Bar Council, he was entrusted with several important cases as a special public prosecutor by the state government. Recognizing a gap in the field of legal reporting, he started two journals, “Cuttack Weekly Reporter (CWR)” and “Cuttack Law Reporter (CLR)” for the benefit of the bar and bench alike.
Today, while the biological existence of this man is no more, the ideologies and contributions left behind by him continue to serve as pathfinders to others. His memory lives on in the Prafulla Kumar Dhal Memorial Moot Court Hall, a testament to his enduring legacy in the field of law.
