NEW DELHI: The Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, Mr. Naveen Jindal has been conferred with the Justice P.N. Bhagwati Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to legal education and corporate philanthropy.
Instituted by the Capital Foundation, this award was presented by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President of India, at a function in New Delhi on Dec. 6th evening at which Supreme Court Judge, Mr. Justice Altamas Kabir was also present.
Mr. Naveen Jindal is the Founding Chancellor of the O.P. Jindal Global University. He is a Member of Parliament, the Chairman and Managing Director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL), and a sports enthusiast. The O.P. Jindal Global University has four schools: Jindal Global Law School (JGLS); Jindal Global Business School (JGBS); Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA); and Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JGSP).
The citation of the award notes that Mr. Jindal’s contribution to legal education and higher education has been truly extraordinary. Commenting on this development, Professor Stephen P. Marks from the Harvard University and Member, Governing Body, O.P. Jindal Global University said, “Friends of India—and I certainly count myself among them—have lamented with enlightened Indians the gap between India’s leadership in legislation and judicial review, on the one hand, and the quality of legal education in India, on the other. The best of India’s young jurists have reached the summits of legal education outside of India.
However, this gap is closing and one of the most outstanding agents of this change has been Mr. Naveen Jindal and his funding of the Jindal Global Law School. Mr. Naveen Jindal has seen the future and has understood how a significant investment in legal education through JGLS will pay great dividends for India and the world. Through this extraordinary and inspired act of corporate philanthropy, Mr. Jindal threw down the gauntlet for other industrialists to make similar philanthropic contribution to legal education. I hope they will.”
In his reaction, Professor Peter Schuck, Emeritus Professor of Law, Yale Law School and Chair, International Board of Advisors, Jindal Global Law School said, “Mr. Naveen Jindal is an institution builder and pioneering figure in the new India. The future generations who flourish through his generosity and vision will be his greatest legacy and gift to his country.”
In relation to the working of the Jindal Global Law School, the Bar Council of India’s Legal Education Committee observed: “Having regard to the material as well as the inspection report, there is no manner of doubt that the Jindal Law School is maintaining standards and imparting legal education of high quality…”
In a recent report relating to higher education in India entitled: “New Realities, New Possibilities: The Changing Face of Indian Higher Education” published by Ernst & Young and FICCI, the Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has been recognised along with the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad as the only two key institutions in India, which have been classified as “Premium Higher Education Institutes” (HEIs).
The Ernst & Young-FICCI report has observed in relation to the recognition of our institution that, “Premium HEIs have evolved over the last decade and are comparable to the best in the world…offering their students with the best of global standards in terms of infrastructure, curriculum, faculty, systems and processes.”
The other recipient of the Justice P.N. Bhagwati award was Dr. Arun Mohan, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India who was given the award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to access to justice.
Mr. Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Human Resource Development and Communications and Information Technology and Mr. Salman Khurshid, Union Minister for Law and Justice and Minority Affairs were conferred with the Justice V. R. Krishan Iyer Award at the same ceremony.
Delivering the Capital Foundation Annual Lecture on the theme Empowering three billion, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam stressed the need to address poverty, lack of education, ill health and other such challenges in rural areas world wide. In this connection, he called for new type of leaders to usher in global prosperity.
The Capital Foundation Society is a registered, non-governmental, non-profit, voluntary organisation which brings together persons of thought and learning to deliberate and articulate public opinion on vital issues. It promotes free flow of information and ideas from diverse sources to influence decision-making.
