Professor Upendra Baxi, one of India’s most distinguished legal scholars and a leading voice on human rights and social justice, has been conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of Sydney in recognition of his outstanding contribution to legal scholarship and his unwavering pursuit of social justice.
The honorary degree was conferred at a ceremony in Delhi on Monday, August 31. The ceremony was presided over by Professor Mike Ryan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) of the University of Sydney.
The citation honouring Professor Baxi was authored by Justice Michael Kirby, former Justice of the High Court of Australia. Kirsten Andrews, Vice-President (External Engagement) of the University of Sydney, read the citation on his behalf.
Professor Baxi has had a distinguished academic career spanning several decades and is widely recognised for his scholarship in constitutional law, human rights, jurisprudence and social justice. His work has examined the relationship between law and society, particularly the role of law in addressing inequality and protecting vulnerable communities.
He obtained his LL.B. from Rajkot University, Gujarat, followed by LL.M. degrees from the University of Bombay and the University of California, Berkeley. He also earned a Doctorate of Juristic Sciences (S.J.D.) from the University of California, Berkeley.
Professor Baxi served on the faculty of the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, where he was Dean from 1975 to 1978 and later served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi. He is also a regular columnist of India Legal magazine.
His academic career has also taken him to several leading international institutions. He has taught at the University of Sydney, Duke University, American University, the New York University School of Law’s Global Law Program, the University of Toronto and NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.
Professor Baxi also served as the Ford Foundation Professor of Human Rights at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. He has been associated with several prominent Indian legal institutions and served as Honorary Director (Research) of the Indian Law Institute and President of the Indian Society of International Law.
Over the course of his career, Professor Baxi has made significant contributions to legal theory and human rights discourse, combining academic scholarship with a sustained engagement with questions of social justice, constitutionalism and the rights of marginalised communities.
The University of Sydney’s recognition honours not only his contribution to legal education and scholarship but also his longstanding commitment to advancing the transformative role of law in society.
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