The first Prof NR Madhava Menon Memorial Lecture was inaugurated to commemorate India’s legal education pioneer and to chart a roadmap for the next 25 years.
Justice BR Gavai, Chief Justice of India, delivered the inaugural address on the theme, ‘Legal and Justice Education @2047: An Agenda for 100 Years of Independence’.
The event also featured the launch of three significant books edited by Prof S Sivakumar and Prof Lisa P. Lukose.
Justice Gavai lauded Prof Menon (1935–2019) for revolutionising legal education in India. He credited Menon with introducing the five-year integrated law programme and establishing the National Law Schools, including NLSIU Bangalore and NUJS Kolkata.
These institutions professionalised legal education, integrating social sciences with law, and created 27 National Law Universities across India.
Prof Menon’s vision, Justice Gavai said, continues to inspire legal education and judicial training, earning him the Padma Shri in 2003.
Addressing the centenary of India’s independence, Justice Gavai emphasised that legal education must cultivate ethical, socially responsible, and constitutionally committed citizens.
He stressed expanding access to law, breaking geographical, economic, and linguistic barriers, and promoting instruction in regional languages.
Legal education must go beyond corporate careers to address inequality, social justice, and global challenges, particularly those affecting the Global South.
Justice Gavai highlighted the importance of ethics, experiential learning, and mentoring. He urged law schools to focus on the ‘why’ behind judicial decisions, encourage critical thinking, and integrate interdisciplinary studies.
Emerging fields, especially technology and law, require research hubs similar to Harvard’s Berkman Klein Centre, combining law, ethics, computer science, and social sciences to tackle challenges like digital privacy and algorithmic bias.
The lecture coincided with the launch of three books addressing sustainability, disaster management, and pandemic-related legal challenges in Asia.
Justice Gavai noted that these works reflect the law’s role in responding to crises while upholding justice and human welfare.
Concluding, he called on educators, students, and policymakers to carry forward Prof. Menon’s legacy, ensuring that by 2047, India’s legal education system stands as globally respected, democratic, and socially just.
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