Law event
NHRC Chairman receives "Best Law Teacher Award"
Recognizing his immense capacity to promote justice and development through law and legal education, his home country recently appointed him as the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), a position usually offered only to a Chief Justice of a Nation's Highest Court” -- this is a line from the citation read out in honour of Professor Mizanur Rahman, the recently appointed Chairman of the NHRC. Dr. Rahman, also a Law Professor at Dhaka University, was conferred the “Professor N.R. Madhava Menon Best Law Teacher in the SAARC Region Award-2010” given by Indian Supreme Court Judge R.V. Raveendran at New Delhi on 5 September 2010. The Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) and Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy and Training (MILAT), which have instituted the award celebrated Law Teachers' Day on 5th September, where eminent law teachers from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region were honoured. The SILF is the apex body established in 2000 to protect, safeguard and promote the interests of law firms in India. The SILF serves as a forum for exchange of ideas and information as also a medium for interaction with the government, the judiciary and the bureaucracy. Read out by Living Legend of the Law in the Commonwealth Padmashree Professor N R Madhava Menon the citation says that Dr. Mizan through his concept of rebellious lawyering the essence of which is lawyering with the poor is lawyering for justice, successfully initiated a 'one man revolution' in legal education in Bangladesh. “The Human Rights Summer School which he established single-handedly ten years ago, attracted legal giants from all over the SAARC region is a unique experiment in learning law in social context and using law creatively to advance the cause of justice”-- the citation mentions. Professor Menon applauded the Bangladesh Government's decision to appoint a law professor like him to be the NHRC Chief and expressed the view that the entire law teaching community has been honoured at this, sending a message to other governments of the SAARC Region. Dr. Mizan in response recalling his whole teaching life to reorienting the students in the true spirit of human rights and dignity said, “When I would see the law students the future judges and lawyers fighting for a change to uphold the spirit of liberty and justice, I would regard it a translation of my relentless effort to fight social inequities, discrimination and poverty”.
On the occasion, the SILF and MILAT also held a National Symposium on “Ethical Lawyering: Role of Law schools”where Professor Rahman spoke on “Law School's Role in Teaching Legal Ethics”. The former Chief Justice of India, J.S. Verma, noted constitutional jurist of Bangladesh Dr. Kamal Hossain and SILF President Lalit Bhasin were also present. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Bhasin said: “We are proud to extend our reach across boundaries to other SAARC countries.” “It is an honour to award Professor Rahman with the 'Professor N.R. Madhava Menon Best Law Teacher Award-2010”, he added. The symposium focused on issues and concerns related to the codes of ethics and underlying principles of ethics. The Role of Law Schools in Teaching Ethics was a special accompanying event. Justice Raveendran, Solicitor-General and Bar Council of India Chairman Gopal Subramaniam, and M.P. and Supreme Court Bar Association President Ram Jethmalani were amongst other keynote speakers. The Chairman of the NHRC Dr. Mizan also delivered a lecture at the Center for Governance and Legal Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University on “Rebellious Lawyering for Empowerment of the Poor: In Search of a New Jurisprudence of Insurgency”.
Compiled by Law Desk
