Professor Upendra Baxi has been awarded honorary doctorate by the University of Sydney in recognition of his legal scholarship and unwavering pursuit of social justice.
The award was conferred at Delhi on Monday (31 August). The ceremony was presided by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) of University of Sydney, Professor Mike Ryan.
The citation was written by Justice Michael Kirby, former Justice of the High Court of Australia and Kirsten Andrews, Vice-President (External Engagement) read on his behalf.
Professor Baxi earned his LL.B. from Rajkot (Gujarat) University, holds LL.M. degrees from the University of Bombay and the University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, he holds a degree of Doctorate of Juristic Sciences (S.J.D.), also from the University of California, Berkeley.
He taught law at Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, where he remained dean 1975–1978 and vice-chancellor of the university. He has taught various courses at Universities of Sydney, Duke University, the American University, the New York University Law School Global Law Program, the University of Toronto and the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.
He was a former Ford Foundation Professor of Human Rights at The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata. He has also served as the honorary director (research) at the Indian Law Institute and the president of the Indian Society of International Law.