N. R. Madhava Menon
N. R. Madhava Menon | |
|---|---|
Menon in August 2007 | |
| Born | 4 May 1935 |
| Died | May 8, 2019 (aged 84) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
| Alma mater | University of Kerala (BSc, LLB) Aligarh Muslim University (PhD) Panjab University (MA) |
| Occupation(s) | Legal educator, lawyer |
| Years active | 1956–2019 |
| Known for | Founding the National Law School of India University and the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences |
| Spouse | Rema Devi |
| Children | Ramakrishna Menon |
| Parent(s) | Ramakrishna Menon (Father) Bhavani Amma (Mother) |
| Awards | Padma Shri (2003) Padma Bhushan (2020) Living Legend of Law Plaque of Honour Rotary Club Award for Vocational Excellence |
| Signature | |
Neelakanta Ramakrishna Madhava Menon (4 May 1935 – 8 May 2019) was an Indian civil servant, lawyer and legal educator, considered by many as the father of modern legal education in India. He is the founder of National Law Universities system and first director of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal and the founder-vice-chancellor of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS). He has also served as Chairman of Indian Statistical Institute from 2002 to 2003.
Menon was awarded the Padma Shri in 2003 and Padma Bhushan in 2020 by the Government of India.
He was a member of the Law Commission of India and also member of several expert Committees including on Legal Aid (1973), Civil Services Examination Reform (2000-2001), and Criminal Justice Reform (2002-2003), Police Act Drafting Committee (2005-2006) and the Committee on Draft National Policy on Criminal Justice (2006-2007) and Committee on Restructuring of Higher Education in India appointed by the Government of India. He was a Central Secretariat Service officer. The new academic block of NLSIU is named after him.