Hriday Shah
Dr. KN Chandrasekharan Pillai, a renowned legal academic, author, and the founding director of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), passed away on Friday at the age of 81.
Dr. Pillai held a B.Sc. degree from the University of Kerala, along with LL.B and LL.M degrees from the University of Delhi. He also earned a second LL.M and an S.J.D from the University of Michigan Law School.
Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Pillai contributed to several editorial boards, including the Journal of the Indian Law Institute, Cochin University Law Review, Academy Law Review, Kerala Bar Council News, and Bangalore Law Journal. He also served as a part-time member of the Law Commission of India.
After practicing before the Supreme Court of India, Dr. Pillai transitioned to academia, beginning as a faculty member at Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre. He later joined Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), where he became the director of the School of Legal Studies. Subsequently, he served as the founding director of NUALS in Kochi and later as the director of the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal until 2013. Additionally, he held the position of director at the Indian Law Institute in Delhi.
Dr. Pillai was widely recognized for his contributions to legal literature, including his reviews of RV Kelkar’s Criminal Procedure and the Textbook on Criminal Procedure Code. He also delivered lectures on criminal procedure regularly.