On the World Social Justice Day on February 20, Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) established the K.K. Luthra & Nirmal Luthra Centre for Comparative Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Studies. The Centre is established to commemorate the 100th birth centenary of K.K. Luthra, a stalwart of criminal law and Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India. This Centre also honours the legacy of Nirmal Luthra, highlighting her contributions and achievements.
The Centre aims to become a global leader in comparative criminal law and criminal justice, promoting fair, equitable, and effective legal systems worldwide and advancing comparative legal scholarship, policy innovation, and practical reforms in criminal law and justice through rigorous research, education, capacity-building, and public engagement.
At the seminar to mark the establishment of the Centre, the Union Minister of State for Law & Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Arun Ram Meghwal was the Chief Guest. The Founding Chancellor of JGU, Mr. Naveen Jindal, was also present. The seminar was participated by legal luminaries, jurists and senior judges.
This Centre was established through a fully endowed fund ensuring the sustainability of its activities in perpetuity. The endowment fund was created by Siddharth Luthra, a distinguished lawyer and jurist, and his sisters, Geeta Luthra, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and Dr. Meera Luthra, Senior Consultant in Paediatric Surgery, as a philanthropic initiative to honour their parents' legacy. It will serve as a global hub for interdisciplinary research, dialogue, and advocacy in criminal law and criminal justice, fostering a legacy of excellence in research, education, advocacy, and reform.
Speaking on the occasion, Sidharth Luthra said, "The flagship activities and initiatives will include: Establishment of the annual K.K. Luthra & Nirmal Luthra Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals for Academic Excellence at JGLS; conduct an International Conference on Comparative Criminal Law; develop actionable recommendations for policy and law reform advocacy; enable comparative research studies through the K.K. Luthra & Nirmal Luthra Chair in Criminal Law & Criminal Justice; assist with capacity-building workshops for legal professionals; establish postgraduate and doctoral research fellowships and create a K.K. Luthra Legacy Series: publications and digital repository along with public engagement and awareness programmes to enhance public understanding of criminal justice issues. There will also be a series of judicial dialogues and roundtables; and internship and training programmes for students."
Prof. (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU and Dean of JGLS, "We are delighted that such a distinguished Centre of study is being established at JGU. It will promote high-quality research and knowledge creation in comparative criminal law and justice system; foster academic and practitioner dialogue on contemporary challenges in criminal law; encourage law reform initiatives for fair and effective justice delivery; create a repository of knowledge on global best practices in criminal law and justice; build a cadre of young scholars and legal professionals through training programmes and facilitate policy engagement with governments, judicial bodies, and international organisations. The Centre will celebrate the legacy of K.K. Luthra and Nirmal Luthra by fostering values of integrity, fairness, and justice in criminal law practice. I would like to express my deep gratitude and profound appreciation to Mr. Sidharth Luthra, Geeta Luthra, Dr. Meera Luthra and Ketaki Goswami for their generous endowment to help set up this pioneering Centre."
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. R. Venkataramani, Attorney General for India, congratulated JGU and said, "The idea of the Constitution itself is rooted in social justice. It encompasses the whole idea of reordering a society on all key parameters. Today, we need to go beyond the dead days of ideological conflict. Social justice cannot belong to any particular ideology. In law schools especially, the idea of social justice must be embedded in the teaching of all law subjects.”
Justice Sanjay Karol, Judge, Supreme Court of India, said, "It is an honour to be at an event of such significance. A study of research and comparative criminal law is crucial for advancing social justice. By comparing different legal systems, scholars can identify practice and promote equality, fairness and access to justice for marginalised and deprived communities."
Other speakers who reflected on various themes included Justice Arjan K. Sikri, Judge, Singapore International Commercial Court, Justice Michael Wilson, Former Judge, Supreme Court of Hawaii, USA, and Mr. Salman Khurshid, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India.
The establishment of this new Centre received global reactions including from the most distinguished scholars of the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and other leading universities.
"A new Centre dedicated to research and scholarship in the field of comparative criminal law and criminal justice is great news. I congratulate both Mr. Sidharth Luthra on his wonderful vision & generosity, and I congratulate the University on its good fortune and vision in developing the Centre. There is so much to learn in this area." said Professor (Dr.) Nicola Padfield Emeritus Professor of Criminal & Penal Justice, University of Cambridge & Former Master, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
"The newly created K.K. Luthra & Nirmal Luthra Centre on Comparative Criminal Law & Criminal Justice Studies at O.P. Jindal Global University represents a timely and important step in the evolution of criminal justice scholarship. Located at one of India's leading universities it will become a very useful hub for comparative research which will benefit many jurisdictions," observed Professor (Dr.) Julian Roberts, Emeritus Professor of Criminology, Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford.