Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Wednesday inaugurated the Supreme Court’s Monthly Lecture Series on Law, Justice and Legal Education along with the Annual Supreme Court Nyaya Shiksha Samman, envisaging both initiatives as institutional platforms for sustained engagement with legal scholarship, jurisprudential thought and the evolving contours of law.
Addressing the inaugural programme, CJI Surya Kant underscored the need for the legal fraternity to periodically step beyond the immediacy of courtroom proceedings and reflect upon the intellectual foundations that sustain the justice system.
He observed that while adjudication necessarily remains centred on resolving disputes and the Bar is engaged in advancing legal arguments, the larger legal ecosystem also requires spaces for reflection on the ideas, principles and social aspirations that continually shape the law.
The monthly lecture series has been conceived around the theme, “One Important Idea, Every Month”, with eminent jurists, scholars, legal educationists and experts expected to address significant questions concerning law, justice and society. Each lecture will be followed by an “Ideas Dialogue”, enabling young advocates, law students and researchers to engage with the speaker and contribute their questions and perspectives.
CJI Surya Kant expressed the hope that the initiative would help bridge the institutional distance between the courtroom and the classroom, creating a continuing dialogue between established legal scholarship and the younger generation entering the profession.
The initiative is also designed to create a lasting repository of contemporary legal thought. The lectures are proposed to be recorded and accompanied by edited transcripts and concise Ideas Papers, while livestreaming and summaries in Indian languages are envisaged to expand their accessibility to the wider legal and academic community.
Alongside the lecture series, the Supreme Court instituted the Nyaya Shiksha Samman as an annual honour recognising distinguished contributions to legal education. CJI Surya Kant highlighted the foundational role of teachers in shaping successive generations of judges, advocates and legal scholars, observing that the strength of the justice system is closely connected with the quality of the professionals and academics it produces.
Reflecting on the significance of teaching, the CJI referred to his own family background, recalling that his father had been a teacher. He spoke of the values of discipline, preparation and commitment associated with the profession and invoked the enduring principle, “shiksha hi sabse bada dhan hai” education is the greatest wealth.
He further emphasised that legal learning does not conclude with the acquisition of a law degree. As statutes evolve, constitutional questions deepen and new societal challenges emerge, judges, lawyers and academics remain lifelong students of the discipline.
Professor Ranbir Singh was conferred the inaugural Supreme Court Nyaya Shiksha Samman for his contribution to legal education. CJI Surya Kant specifically acknowledged Prof Singh’s role as the founding Vice-Chancellor of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, and subsequently of National Law University, Delhi.
The CJI noted Prof Singh’s contribution to institution-building and his role in creating academic environments conducive to legal scholarship, professional training and the independent intellectual development of students. He also recalled having first encountered Prof Singh’s academic reputation during his own student years at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
Prof Ranbir Singh also delivered the inaugural lecture of the monthly series on the theme, “The Constitution as a Charter of Opportunity”.
CJI Surya Kant said the theme provided an appropriate intellectual starting point for the new initiative, noting that constitutional discourse is frequently examined through the prism of fundamental rights, limitations on governmental power and institutional structures. At the same time, he highlighted the Constitution’s broader commitment to creating conditions in which individuals can participate meaningfully in society and pursue opportunities with dignity and equality.
The CJI expressed hope that Prof Singh’s scholarship and experience would contribute to a deeper examination of the constitutional promise of equality and opportunity in the context of the aspirations of a changing India.
Concluding the inaugural programme, CJI Surya Kant congratulated Prof Singh on receiving the first Nyaya Shiksha Samman and said the two initiatives were intended to foster a continuing institutional culture of legal inquiry, intellectual exchange and engagement with the ideas influencing the future trajectory of law and the legal profession.
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