Dr N. R. Madhava Menon on Inclusion and Equity for Rural and Tribal India

Abstract

This article examines some of Dr N. R. Madhava Menon’s key messages to the legal education community about the need to thoughtfully prepare lawyers to serve the rural and tribal communities of India. Dr Menon raised the issue on multiple platforms, including newspaper opinion editorials for the general public, lectures to fellow legal educators, in his expert recommendations for legal education in the National Education Policy 2019, and in a book on inclusion, opportunity and equity published by the World Bank and co-edited by Menon and other development experts.

Dr Menon envisioned the characteristics of lawyers effectively prepared to serve rural and tribal people. They need to be familiar with the legal issues relevant to rural and tribal community members, including laws about land, natural resources, forests, and agriculture. They need to be fluent in local languages spoken by rural and tribal communities, sensitive to tribal and rural cultures, and expert in representation in the forums and departments where problems of the communities would be resolved. Dr Menon broadly designed the support that would be required of the legal profession in terms of corporate social responsibility funding and formation of legal cooperatives. Dr Menon’s road map for preparing the legal profession to better serve the majority of India’s population will continue to inspire legal educators, law students, legal services authorities, and other advocates for rural and tribal communities.