Kerala Varsity confers doctorate on CJI

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 20: The University of Kerala today conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws on Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan in recognition of his overall contribution in the field of Law.

Conferring the degree, Kerala Governor and University Chancellor R L Bhatia said that Justice Balakrishnan had proved himself adept in both civil and criminal cases.

His judgements on many social issues, which were spurred by a profound sense of social responsibility, had won him acclaim. For instance, he noted the landmark verdict in which the Chief justice had asked the Election Commission to debar political parties that imposed hartals.

Justice Balakrishnan always considered the functional role of law as an instrument of change, Mr Bhatia said.

Accepting the honorary degree of LLD, the CJI said he was happy to receive the honorary degree from the University of Kerala from where he had graduated.It laid the foundation for his further studies.

''It was 42 years ago that I received the degree of graduation in a convocation held in this very hall,'' he reminisced.

The CJI said the university's students always maintained a respect for traditional values which ensured they rose to become great luminaries in every walk of life.

He also said the focus should be on hard work that ''brings a sense of fulfilment and joy of going beyond our capabilities and doing things we never thought we could.'' A few minutes before the convocation ceremony, the University held a special senate meeting where a resolution was passed for conferring the honorary degree.

State Education Minister M A Baby and University Vice-Chancellor M K Ramachandran were among those present at the convocation ceremony.

UNI