TFP Bureau, Raipur, January 13, 2025: Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur, marked the beginning of its new academic semester with the prestigious 4th Swami Vivekananda Memorial Lecture on January 12, 2025. The event, held on National Youth Day, celebrated the life and philosophy of Swami Vivekananda and emphasized his relevance in contemporary India. The lecture, titled ‘Contextualizing Swami Vivekananda’s Philosophy in the 75th Year of the Indian Constitution: A Beacon of Vision and Values,’ was delivered by Hon’ble Mr. Justice M.R. Shah, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and Distinguished Jurist Professor at HNLU. The occasion was also graced by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Goutam Bhaduri, former Judge of the High Court of Chhattisgarh.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Vivekanandan, Vice-Chancellor of HNLU, highlighted the transformative years of Swami Vivekananda’s early life in Raipur and his quest for inner truth regarding religion, society, nation, and culture during his brief 39 years. He also discussed HNLU’s efforts to honor Swami Vivekananda by commissioning his statue, created by alumni-turned-artists, and by instituting the annual memorial lecture on his birth anniversary. Prof. Vivekanandan acknowledged the tremendous support of Justice M.R. Shah as an Executive Council member of HNLU and praised his landmark judgments, which made him the ideal speaker for this year’s lecture.
Hon’ble Mr. Justice M.R. Shah delivered an insightful address, reflecting on Swami Vivekananda’s advocacy for social justice, national building, equality, secularism, and gender justice—values enshrined in India’s Constitution and reinforced by judicial pronouncements. Justice Shah discussed how Swami Vivekananda’s tenets were reflected in landmark Supreme Court cases, including Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973), Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978), Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015), Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017), and Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018), among others.
Justice Shah emphasized that Swami Vivekananda’s ideals of oneness, collective resolve, harmony, respect for women, and social equality were fundamental in building a compassionate and value-driven nation. He urged the audience to imbibe these teachings as a true tribute to Swami Vivekananda on this National Youth Day.
Dr. Deepak Srivastava, Registrar (I/c), welcomed the attendees, and Dr. Avinash Samal, Dean of Social Sciences, delivered the vote of thanks. This annual lecture series, initiated by HNLU, continues to inspire law students and faculty, drawing attendees from various law schools across Chhattisgarh. The event was organized by HNLU under the CG LEARN (Chhattisgarh Legal Education and Research Network) platform, coordinated by Dr. Deepak Srivastava and Dr. Anita Singh, faculty member at HNLU.
