The A.K. Sen Memorial Lecture 2025 was held on November 7, 2025 (Friday) at 7 PM at the India International Centre (Multipurpose Hall), New Delhi. The lecture series, instituted in memory of the distinguished jurist, parliamentarian, and Union Law Minister Ashok Kumar Sen, was attended by members of the judiciary, senior advocates, academics, and law students from across the country.

The evening opened with an interactive discussion featuring an eminent panel such as Justice Joymalya Bagchi (Judge, Supreme Court of India), Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi (MP, Rajya Sabha & Senior Advocate), and Jayanta Mitra(Senior Advocate and former Advocate General of West Bengal), moderated by Sanjiv Sen, Senior Advocate. The discussion recalled A.K. Sen’s multi-faceted contribution to the legal profession and public life, including his central role in the framing of the Advocates Act, 1961, which unified the legal profession and established the Bar Council system.

Delivering the memorial lecture, Justice Vikram Nath, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, paid an eloquent tribute to A.K. Sen, describing him as “a remarkable Indian who raised the standard of the legal profession itself.” Reflecting on Sen’s lifelong commitment to reform, Justice Nath said that Sen “combined the lawyer’s eye for detail with the public servant’s instinct to explain and include.”

In his address, Justice Nath paid rich tribute to Ashok Kumar Sen describing him as “a remarkable Indian, lawyer, parliamentarian, and minister who raised the standard of the work itself.” He lauded A.K. Sen’s role in shaping modern legal institutions, notably the Advocates Act, 1961, which democratized the legal profession and established the Bar Council framework.

Justice Nath emphasized that Sen’s approach to lawmaking combined clarity, fairness, and civility qualities that “built trust, the true currency of law.” Reflecting on the enduring relevance of Sen’s ideals, Justice Nath said:

“The law is not merely a set of rules but a way of treating people, a promise that power will answer to reason and that reason will remain open to evidence.”

He urged young lawyers to uphold habits of discipline, respect, and humility, noting that “clarity is a form of respect to the House, to the courts, and to the public.”