NR Madhava Menon, father of modern legal education, passes away in Kerala; 84-year-old was being treated for age-related ailments

Thiruvananthapuram: Father of modern legal education in India, NR Madhava Menon, passed away at a hospital in Kerela, family sources said Wednesday. He was 84. He is survived by a wife and a son. “He had been treatment for the past one week for age-related ailments at a private hospital. He left us around 11.30 pm yesterday (7 May),” a source close to the family told PTI. “The funeral will take place at 2.30 pm on Wednesday at Shanthi Kavadam state-owned crematorium.” [caption id=“attachment_6593621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] NR Madhava Menon. Image/News18[/caption] President of India Ram Nath Kovind condoled his death. “Sorry to hear of the passing of Prof N R Madhava Menon, educationist, scholar, and a pioneering spirit behind modern legal education in India, beginning with National Law School of India University, Bangalore. My condolences to his family and countless students,” the president said on his official Twitter account. Kerala governor P Sathasivam said he was “deeply saddened” by the demise of Menon, whose insightful ideas modernised legal education in India. “As an authority in legal and constitutional matters, he used his limitless erudition to build world-class institutions and to enlighten generations of students,” he tweeted. Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan in his condolence message said that Menon gave a new direction to the legal education sector in the country. “The National Law School in Banglore was established due to efforts taken by Menon. Later, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Jyothi Basu, invited him to start a similar institution in Kolkata,” Vijayan said in a release, adding that his achievements would make any Keralite proud. Menon started his legal career with the Kerala High Court at the age of 21 after graduating from Government Law College. He later shifted his base to Delhi and joined the faculty of Aligarh Muslim University in 1960. Menon moved to Delhi University in 1965 and headed the prestigious Campus Law Centre. He established the National Law Institute of India University in Bengaluru in 1986 and was the vice-chancellor of the university for 12 years. Menon was also the founding director of National Judicial Academy in Bhopal. The nation honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2003 for his contributions to the legal field.