SC announces monthly lecture series on law, justice and legal education

The Supreme Court will launch a monthly lecture series on law, justice and legal education in September 2026, Chief Justice Surya Kant announced on Teachers’ Day. The initiative will promote dialogue among legal stakeholders and include an annual honour for distinguished legal educators

New Delhi: To create a regular platform for dialogue and exchange of ideas on important contemporary issues concerning law, justice and society, the Supreme Court of India, in first of its kind initiative, announced a monthly lecture series on law, justice and legal education and also proposed an annual award.

On the occasion of Teacher’s Day, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant announced on Saturday that the top court is set to launch a monthly lecture series on law, justice and legal education.

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“It will create a regular platform for dialogue and exchange of ideas on important contemporary issues concerning law, justice and society. Built around the idea of “One important idea. Every month”, the series will bring together the Bench, Bar, academia, eminent experts and young legal minds to engage with questions that are relevant to the legal system as well as to society at large. The initiative is envisaged as a continuing intellectual platform of the Supreme Court of India,” a statement issued by the apex court said.

It further said that the chief justice of India will guide the themes, speakers and overall format of the series, with each edition focusing on a contemporary and significant subject. The series will feature a lecture followed by dialogue, under which each monthly edition will feature a distinguished lecture by an eminent jurist, scholar, legal educationist or domain expert.

“The focused lecture will seek to explain the chosen subject with clarity, authority and practical relevance. The lecture will be followed by an ideas dialogue – a moderated discussion that will also provide an opportunity for selected questions and participation from young advocates, law students and researchers,” the statement said.

It added that the series will seek to go beyond a conventional lecture format by encouraging informed discussion across generations and creating greater engagement between established legal institutions and young members of the legal community.

An important feature of the initiative will be the creation of a lasting public knowledge resource, as each edition is proposed to be professionally recorded and supported by an edited transcript and a concise ideas paper, gradually building a permanent archive of contemporary legal thought and discussion.

“The series will also seek wider national reach through livestreaming and concise summaries, including in Indian languages, so that the discussions can be accessed by a larger legal and academic community,” it said.

In order to recognise excellence in legal education, as part of the initiative, the Supreme Court also proposed an annual “Supreme Court Nyaya Shiksha Samman”, a non-monetary honour recognising distinguished contribution to legal education.

“The honour is envisaged to be conferred once every year, around Teachers’ Day, upon one or two outstanding legal educationists. The first presentation will follow the inaugural lecture,” it said. The Supreme Court further said that the first edition of the monthly lecture series will be held in September 2026, with one distinguished edition thereafter every month.

“Through the initiative, the Supreme Court seeks to encourage deeper legal thought, meaningful dialogue and wider participation in discussions on issues shaping the future of law and justice. It is also intended to create an enduring institutional tradition and a credible body of lectures, discussions and publications of lasting public value,” it said.