New Delhi: In a significant development for India’s legal academic ecosystem, the Indian Law Institute (ILI), New Delhi, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) and the Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy & Training (MILAT), successfully inaugurated the CLEA–MILAT Research Mentoring Programme (RMP)® 2026 on 18 May 2026 at the Indian Law Institute campus in New Delhi.
The programme was inaugurated by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant, Chief Justice of India and President of the Indian Law Institute, who attended as the Chief Guest. The event was graced by Hon’ble Mr. Justice K. V. Viswanathan, Judge, Supreme Court of India, as the Guest of Honour. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Prasanna B. Varale, Judge, Supreme Court of India, was also present during the inaugural session.
A Prestigious Ceremony Marking a New Chapter in Legal Research
The inaugural ceremony commenced with the traditional lighting of the ceremonial lamp, followed by the welcome address delivered by Sr. Prof. (Dr.) V. K. Ahuja, Director, Indian Law Institute.
Sr. Prof. (Dr.) S. Sivakumar, Senior Professor, ILI; President, CLEA; Lead Mentor & Director of RMP 2026, introduced the vision and objectives of the programme. He emphasized that meaningful legal research requires intellectual endurance, discipline, and the courage to engage deeply with difficult questions.
Prof. (Dr.) S. Sivakumar Highlights the True Purpose of Mentorship
In his address, Prof. (Dr.) S. Sivakumar underlined that the CLEA–MILAT Research Mentoring Programme is not a routine academic workshop, but a sustained mentoring ecosystem designed to nurture serious legal researchers.
“The problem is not that you cannot think. The problem is that nobody has taught you how to stay with a difficult question long enough.”
Reflecting on India’s intellectual traditions, he observed that Indian knowledge systems never treated questioning as a threat to learning, but rather as its foundation.
He also referred to the inspiring story of Bharat Ratna Sir C. V. Raman, who reportedly chose mentorship over ceremony by remaining with his doctoral student during an important stage of thesis completion. Through this anecdote, Prof. Sivakumar highlighted that true academic greatness lies not merely in recognition, but in dedication to mentorship and nurturing future generations of scholars.
Chief Justice of India Calls for Ethical and Human-Centred Legal Scholarship
Addressing the gathering, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant, Chief Justice of India, highlighted the importance of rigorous legal scholarship, ethical research, and mentorship in strengthening constitutional democracy and public institutions.
Speaking about the paradox of the digital age, His Lordship observed:
“We are surrounded by more information, but not always by deeper or innovative thinking.”
Emphasising the role of scholarship in legal reform, the Chief Justice stated:
“Every meaningful legal reform in our history began not in Parliament, not even in a courtroom, but in the mind of a scholar willing to ask an uncomfortable question and pursue it with rigour.”
His Lordship also highlighted the responsibility of mentors, stating:
“Your responsibility is not to produce students who think like you. Your responsibility is to produce students who can think for themselves.”
On academic integrity in the age of Artificial Intelligence, the Chief Justice cautioned:
“In a time when Artificial Intelligence can generate fabricated precedents, invented quotations, and non-existent sources with alarming ease, integrity is no longer just an academic virtue. It has become a professional necessity.”
Justice K. V. Viswanathan Emphasises Deep Reading, Critical Thinking, and Human Judgment
In his Guest of Honour address, Hon’ble Mr. Justice K. V. Viswanathan, Judge, Supreme Court of India, highlighted the importance of deep reading, critical thinking, interdisciplinary engagement, and intellectual humility in legal research.
Cautioning against the growing tendency to reduce judgments and constitutional debates into short notes and headlines, His Lordship observed:
“We live in an age of summaries.”
He further remarked:
“Law does not reveal itself to the impatient reader.”
Speaking on the role of technology and Artificial Intelligence in legal research, Justice Viswanathan stated:
“Technology should be viewed as an aid, not a substitute.”
He added:
“Machines can organise information. They cannot replace human judgment.”
Justice Viswanathan also reminded young scholars that legal research must remain connected to society:
“If scholarship becomes disconnected from society, it risks becoming technically sophisticated but socially irrelevant.”
About CLEA–MILAT Research Mentoring Programme (RMP)® 2026
The CLEA–MILAT Research Mentoring Programme (RMP)® 2026 is a six-week mentorship-driven initiative aimed at strengthening research skills among young academicians, research scholars, advocates, and legal professionals.
The programme includes preparatory digital orientation, residential academic training, personalised mentorship, and publication-oriented research development.
The residential training module is being conducted from 18–22 May 2026 at the Indian Law Institute, New Delhi. It covers important themes including legal research methodology, literature review, academic writing, empirical tools, research ethics, interdisciplinary approaches, technology and AI in legal research, policy research, and publication processes.
A National Platform for Scholarly Dialogue and Collaborative Learning
The programme has brought together participants, researchers, teachers, and legal professionals from across the country, creating a vibrant platform for scholarly dialogue, intellectual exchange, and collaborative learning.
With the participation of eminent members of the judiciary, senior legal scholars, mentors, and academic leaders, the initiative marks an important step toward building a strong and sustainable culture of legal research in India.
A Landmark Initiative for the Future of Legal Education in India
The inauguration of the CLEA–MILAT Research Mentoring Programme (RMP)® 2026 reflects a renewed commitment to research excellence, ethical scholarship, mentorship, and human-centred legal education.
As India moves toward 2047, such initiatives are expected to play a vital role in shaping the next generation of judges, scholars, teachers, policymakers, advocates, and constitutional thinkers.
The message from New Delhi was clear: legal scholarship must not merely keep pace with technology—it must lead with thought, integrity, and humanity.