Justice Ahmadi Distinguished Lecture 2025 | Inaugural Lecture by Ramachandra Guha
July 12, 2025
The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru and the Ahmadi Foundation jointly organised the inaugural lecture of the Justice Ahmadi Distinguished Lecture Series on July 12, 2025. The lecture was delivered by historian and biographer Ramachandra Guha on the topic ‘What would Dr. Ambedkar make of India Today?’ at the Bangalore International Centre.
The lecture series is a part of the Justice Ahmadi Initiative on Rule of Law, Democracy and Social Justice. The initiative has been established in honour of, and to preserve and promote the legacy of former Chief Justice of India, Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi.
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Abstract of the lecture
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is remembered and admired for many things: for his heroic, lifelong, campaign to eradicate the evil of untouchability; for his scholarly contributions as an economist and social theorist; for the social movements he led and the political parties he founded; for the educational institutions he nurtured; for his critical role in overseeing and directing the framing of the Constitution; for the brilliant books, essays and pamphlets that he authored on a variety of subjects.
This lecture focussed on Ambedkar as a visionary and deeply insightful theorist of constitutional democracy. By juxtaposing what he said in his speeches in the Constituent Assembly to the social and political realities of contemporary India, Guha demonstrated how his ideas remain of compelling relevance to us today. While the core of the talk focussed on Ambedkar the political theorist, it ended by briefly comparing his legacy with that of other remarkable Indians of his generation, such as Jawaharlal Nehru, M.K. Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay.
About the speaker
Ramachandra Guha is a historian and biographer based in Bengaluru. His books include a pioneering environmental history, The Unquiet Woods (University of California Press, 1989); an award-winning social history of cricket, A Corner of a Foreign Field (Picador, 2002); and a landmark history of the Republic, India after Gandhi (Macmillan/Ecco Press, 2007; third revised edition, 2023). Having previously taught at Yale University, the London School of Economics, and the Indian Institute of Science, he is currently Distinguished University Professor at Krea University.
About the event
The event began with Prof. (Dr.) Mrinal Satish, Dean – Research, NLSIU, introducing the establishment of the Justice Ahmadi Initiative at NLSIU, its objectives, and the Distinguished Lecture series. Thereafter, Prof. (Dr.) Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice Chancellor of NLSIU, delivered the welcome address. Following which, Ms. Insiyah Vahanvaty, Justice Ahmadi’s granddaughter and biographer, spoke to the gathering on behalf of the Ahmadi Foundation. Then Ms. Ammel Sharon, Assistant Professor, Social Science, and NLS Law and Society Archives In-Charge, presented the audience with a video montage depicting Justice Ahmadi’s life and work.
After the lecture, NLS Visiting Faculty, Arvind Narrain moderated a Q&A session between the speaker and the audience. Finally, Prof. (Dr.) N.S. Nigam, Registrar, NLSIU closed the event with a vote of thanks.
The lecture was well attended by NLS students, faculty and staff, as well as attendees outside of the NLS community. Among the dignitaries present were members of Justice Ahmadi’s family, senior advocates and retired judges, including, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ashok Bangreppa Hinchigeri, Karnataka High Court and Chairman, Karnataka Law Commission; and Hon’ble Mr. Justice P. Vishwanatha Shetty, former Karnataka Lokayukta and Karnataka High Court.
In the Media
Hereditary principle in Congress today would have been repugnant to Ambedkar: Ramachandra Guha | The Hindu
Personality cults in politics will pave way for eventual dictatorship: Ramachandra Guha | Deccan Herald
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