India

CJI Surya Kant Honors Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon, Awards Attorney General

By PTI

On Saturday, Chief Justice Surya Kant paid tribute to eminent legal educationist Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon and presented the second Memorial ‘Tribute of Honour’ Award, instituted in Menon’s memory, to the Attorney General of India, R. Venkataramani. The ceremony took place at a hotel in Kochi and was attended by Kerala High Court Chief Justice Soumen Sen. In his opening remarks, the Chief Justice recalled Menon’s contributions to legal education and institution‑building, noting that his vision shaped generations of lawyers, judges and scholars. Menon founded the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru in 1986 and pioneered the five‑year integrated LLB programme that transformed legal education in the country. He later established the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata and the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal. “Law, when taught rightly, is an instrument of social transformation, and not merely a licence to practise a trade,” Kant said, adding that Menon emphasized legal aid and the inclusion of the poor and marginalised in legal education. The CJI recalled that Menon had enrolled as an advocate at the Kerala High Court before becoming a nationally recognised figure in legal education, and that he continued to contribute to the legal fraternity in Kerala during his later years. Speaking about the award recipient, Kant noted that Venkataramani joined Government Law College in Pondicherry in 1974, where he was mentored by Menon, who had taken over as principal that same year. The CJI described their association as a lasting teacher‑student bond, noting that Venkataramani carried his mentor’s values throughout his nearly five‑decade career at the Bar, arguing cases on constitutional law, environmental law, taxation, tribal rights and the rights of women and children before the Supreme Court. Referring to his role as the union government’s chief legal adviser, Kant said the Attorney General discharged his responsibilities with a measured, principled and courteous approach. The CJI said the award recognises the enduring legacy of a teacher whose contributions to legal education live on through his students and the institutions he established. “Our truest monuments are not made of stone. They are the minds we shape and the institutions we leave behind,” he said.