Attorney General for India Dr. R. Venkataramani was conferred the second Prof. (Dr.) N.R. Madhava Menon Memorial ‘Tribute of Honour’ Award at a ceremony held at the Kerala High Court Auditorium in Ernakulam on October 31, 2026.
The award recognises AG’s association with the late Professor Madhava Menon, whom he regarded as his mentor.
Speaking at the event, Chief Justice Surya Kant recalled that Dr. R. Venkataramani joined the Government Law College, Pondicherry, as a physics graduate in 1974, the same year Prof. (Dr.) N.R. Madhava Menon joined the institution as its Principal.
Remembering Prof. (Dr.) N.R. Madhava Menon’s contribution to legal education, CJI highlighted his role in establishing the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, in 1986, where he introduced the five-year integrated LL.B. programme. He also founded the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences and the National Judicial Academy.
Speaking about the award recipient, Dr. R. Venkataramani, the CJI noted that he had spent nearly five decades at the Bar, arguing matters involving constitutional law, environmental law, taxation, tribal rights, and the rights of women and children. He also described the Attorney General’s approach to his office as measured, principled and courteous.
Describing the award as a reflection of the enduring legacy of a teacher and the achievements of his student, CJI Surya Kant said:
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“It is a teacher’s vision finding vindication in a student’s achievement: a lineage of learning that runs, unbroken, from a small college in Pondicherry to the highest office of legal counsel in the land.”
Concluding his address, the CJI said that the true legacy of educators lies not merely in institutions they establish but in the minds they shape and the values they pass on.
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“Our truest monuments are not made of stone. They are the minds we shape and the institutions we leave behind.”