National Law University, Delhi (NLUD) on September 5, Teachers' Day, conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award on Prof (Dr) Upendra Baxi.
Prof Baxi is a Distinguished Professor at NLU Delhi. He has also been a professor of law at Warwick University since 1996. He has also served as a Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Delhi University (DU) from 1990 to 1994, after over two decades as a professor there. He was earlier Vice Chancellor of the University of South Gujarat. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri.
The ceremony was held at the University Moot Court Hall, NLUd. It was attended by former Supreme Court judge Justice (Dr) AK Sikri, former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice UU Lalit, Delhi High Court Chief Justice and NLU Delhi Chancellor Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Attorney General (AG) R Venkataramani, and Justice Vijay Bishnoi of the Supreme Court.
NLU Delhi Vice Chancellor Prof (Dr) GS Bajpai delivered the welcome address. GALTER Founder Director Prof (Dr) MK Bhandari then spoke on the significance of the award.
Those present then reflected on Prof Baxi's influence on legal scholarship. Justice Sikri recalled his interactions with Baxi as a student. Justice Lalit spoke of how Baxi's interventions helped bend cases of injustice towards justice. AG Venkataramani recounted attending Baxi's classes as a guest student. Justice Upadhyaya spoke of Baxi's broader influence on legal education and thought. Justice Bishnoi described how judges strive to make a difference in the spirit of Baxi's work.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was then jointly presented to Prof Baxi by those on the dais, in recognition of his contribution to legal thought and scholarship. Prof Baxi delivered the acceptance speech.
The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks by Prof (Dr) Niraj Kumar, followed by the National Anthem.