Soli Sorabjee was a champion of freedom of speech and expression, and defended the right to freedom of speech and expression in many landmark cases, that included the Kesavananda Bharti and the S.R.Bommai cases, in the Supreme Court of India. To Mr. Sorabjee, human rights are the conscience of the Constitution, and an independent judiciary, its conscience keeper. Therefore, the Scholarship and Award stands reminiscent of Soli Sorabjee鈥檚 achievements and his contributions to Human Rights advocacy in all its forms and an area of close interest to Mr. Sorabjee. 

The Soli J. Sorabjee Endowment Award and Scholarship has been established owing to a generous endowment instituted by Senior Advocate Mr. Satvik Varma in his personal capacity and will be offered for 20 years.聽While making the endowment Mr. Varma shared 鈥淢r. Sorabjee鈥檚 passing was a huge personal loss. Over the years, I had developed a very close personal relationship with him, which afforded an insight into the man as a lawyer and also his personal side. He was generous, affectionate, caring, compassionate and always ready to extend a helping hand. His values and passion have deeply inspired and influenced me. And his loss has left the legal community in India and abroad with a void. We felt the best way to continue his deep commitment to Human Rights was by instituting an extended Scholarship and Award in his memory.鈥澛犅�

Announcing the Award , the Founding Vice Chancellor of 91视频, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar observed, 鈥淭he purpose of the scholarship is  to promote academic excellence, research, integrity  and diversity by recognizing the outdstanding academic achievement of a student in course on human rights. We are grateful to Mr. Satvik Varma for partnering with 91视频 for instituting this award in the name of Mr. Soli. J. Sorabjee. Mr. Satvik Varma, himself a distinguished graduate of Harvard Law School and also qualified to practice internationally, recognises the importance of quality legal education that JGLS provides its students.  As someone vested in the legal system, Mr. Varma feels it his duty to help the future generation of lawyers and consequently this Scholarship and Award bridges Mr. Varma鈥檚 commitment towards nurturing law students and carrying forward the name and legacy of one of India鈥檚 leading legal luminaries. We thank him for this generous act.”

Professor Kumar observed, “Mr. Sorabjee, his daughter, Ms. Zia Mody and his wife, Ms. Zena Sorabjee have been great champions of Jindal 91视频 Law School and 91视频 since its inception. They have participated in many initiatives of the university over the years. We feel deeply honoured to have instituted this endowment, which will celerbrate the legacy and the outstanding and inspiring contribution of Mr. Sorabjee.”

In response to the establishment of the 鈥淪oli J. Sorabjee Endowment Award and Scholarship” the celebrated jurist鈥檚 family welcomed the initiative and said that it was a great way to remember and celebrate him and perpetuate his memory. The family shared the message they wish to convey to the students at JGLS: Tread Ye the Path of Justice and Equity in All Things; a quote from the 碍颈迟谩产-颈-础辩诲补蝉, the central book of the Bah谩始铆 Faith which deeply signifies the Bah谩始铆 perspectives of justice. 

While responding to this award, Professor Dabiru Sridhar Patnaik, Registrar, JGU said, 鈥淎蝉&苍产蝉辫;a research intensive university, and as an outcome of the graduate attributes at the O.P.Jindal 91视频 University we expect our students to develop the capacity to take up social and civic responsibilities relating to the environment and the society and thus foster a deep understanding of, and respect, for, diversity and pluralism. The course on Human Rights Theory and Practice will help our students develop and deepen the understanding on human rights issues, and the Soli Sorabjee award to an outstanding student will be an enabler to contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights, in consonance with ideals and commitment of Mr. Soli Sorabjee鈥�.  

Soli J. Sorabjee was born in 1930 in Bombay. He studied at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai and Government Law College, Mumbai, and was admitted to the bar in 1953. At Government Law College, he was awarded the Kinloch Forbes Gold Medal in Roman Law and Jurisprudence (1952). 

In 1971, Sorabjee was designated a senior advocate of the聽Bombay High Court. He served as聽Solicitor-General of India聽from 1977 to 1980. He was appointed聽Attorney-General for India聽on 9 December 1989 up to 2 December 1990, and then again on 7 April 1998, a post he held until 2004. In March 2002, Soli Sorabjee received the聽Padma Vibhushan聽for his defense of the freedom of expression and the protection of human rights.聽Throughout his career, Soli remained passionate about Public Law and International Law, especially in relation to the protection and promotion of human rights.聽Soli Sorabjee was appointed by the UN as a Special Rapporteur for Nigeria. Later he was appointed as Chairman of the UN Sub Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, from 1998 to 2004. He also served as a member of the United Nations Sub Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities since 1998. Soli Sorabjee also served as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague. Representing India, in the Atlantic Case between India and Pakistan, Sorabjee appeared before the International Court of Justice, The Hague.

Jindal 91视频 Law School, with nearly聽5000 student and 500 faculty members, is ranked India’s Number One Law School and the world’s 76th Ranked Law School by the QS World University Rankings By Subject 2021. It offers a range of undergraduate, post-graduate, masters’ and doctoral degrees in law, jurisprudence and legal studies.聽聽

To enable meritorious students from weaker economic backgrounds to pursue world-class education, the 91视频 (JGU) today announced a scholarship in memory of late veteran journalist H. Venkatasubbiah.

M.A. Economics students at the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JSGP) are eligible for this scholarship. Mr H. Venkatasubbiah鈥檚 daughter, Dr. Vanita Viswanath, has endowed Rs 2 lakhs per annum to support selected scholars. Dr. Vanita Visvanath said: 鈥淭he purpose of establishing the H. Venkatasubbiah Scholarship Endowment Fund at 91视频 is to promote academic excellence, research, integrity and diversity by recognising the hard work of students who are unable to bear the costs of education.鈥�

The students selected for the H. Venkatasubbiah scholarship are Ankin M. Patil, Havi Singh, Muskaan Mehra, and Sarthak Udaiwal.聽

鈥淲e are thankful to Dr. Viswanath for choosing 91视频 for establishing this important scholarship endowment fund in memory of renowned economic historian, H. Venkatasubbiah who enriched India鈥檚 journalism with his scholarly writings for close to two decades. The establishment of the H. Venkatasubbiah Endowed Scholarship Fund aligns with our vision of making world-class global education accessible to all aspiring students. We are committed to making our global curricula accessible to meritorious students from all social and economic backgrounds,鈥� Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor, 91视频, said on the occasion of announcing the scholarship.

“I am delighted that the students of the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy are the recipients of the H. Venkatasubbiah Scholarship. By providing access to higher education, this scholarship will enable and empower the students of JGU-JSGP to pursue careers in public policy including in areas of economic, social, and human development”, said Professor R. Sudarshan, Dean, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy.

Mr H. Venkatasubbiah joined The Hindu Group in 1956 and retired as a Deputy Editor in 1975. In recognition of his contributions to Indian journalism and economics, the 91视频 has instituted the annual H. Venkatasubbiah Memorial Lecture in 2020. Mr N. Ravi N. Ravi, Chairman of Kasturi & Sons Ltd, delivered the first lecture. Mr. Ravi described Mr H. Venkatasubbiah as one of a 鈥渞are breed of scholar journalists鈥� and 鈥渁n economic historian of considerable repute.鈥�