Father of modern legal education in India, NR Madhava Menon, 84, passed away on Wednesday following age-related illness.

Menon started his legal career with the Kerala High Court at the age of 21 after graduating from Government Law College. He later shifted his base to Delhi and joined the faculty of Aligarh Muslim University in 1960. He moved to Delhi University in 1965 and headed the prestigious Campus Law Centre.

In 1986, he established the National Law Institute of India University (NSLIU) in Bangalore, which is unarguably the country’s best law university today and was the vice vhancellor of the university for 12 years. Menon was also the founding director of National Judicial Academy in Bhopal. The nation honoured him with the Padma Sri in 2003 for his contributions to the legal field.

President of India Ram Nath Kovind condoled his death. “Sorry to hear of the passing of Prof NR Madhava Menon, educationist, scholar and a pioneering spirit behind modern legal education in India, beginning with National Law School of India University, Bangalore. My condolences to his family and countless students,” the official Twitter account of the President read.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his condolence message, said Menon gave a new direction to the legal education sector in the country. “The National Law School in Banglore was established due to efforts taken by Menon. Later, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal Jyothi Basu invited him to start a similar institution in Kolkata,” Vijayan said in a release.