Former Justice, High Court of Australia, Appointed
‘Honorary Adjunct Professor’ at Jindal Global Law School, India

Eminent international jurist, Hon’ble Michael Kirby AC CMG, former Judge, High Court of Australia, has been appointed Honorary Adjunct Professor of Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) at O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in Haryana, India.

Hon’ble Kirby joins Hon. Justice Michael D. Wilson and Hon. Justice Sabrina S. McKenna, distinguished Judges of Supreme Court of Hawaii in the United States of America, distinguished Indian judge, Hon’ble Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Judge, International Court of Justice at The Hague, eminent jurist and parliamentarian, Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, distinguished lawyer, Gopal Subramanium, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, who were earlier appointed as Honorary Adjunct Professors at Jindal Global Law School.

During his tenure as a judge, Kirby is credited with frequent citations of Indian judgments. A recent study by Australian and Indian professors noted that his citations of Indian judgments alone constitute 64% of the total citations of Indian judgments by the Judges of the High Court of Australia – the country’s apex court. Besides his longstanding Indian connection, Kirby was appointed as the presiding arbitrator in the KG Basin dispute in 2014. 

Speaking on the occasion, Professor (Dr) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor – O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) and Dean – Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), said, “The founding vision of JGU is promoting global education across different disciplines led by the appointment of faculty members from across the world possessing outstanding academic qualifications and experience. Accordingly, we welcome Hon’ble Michael Kirby AC CMG as ‘Honorary Adjunct Professor’ to our university. His appointment at Jindal Global Law School demonstrates our commitment towards global legal education while recognizing the need for offering opportunities to our students in gaining perspectives and experiences transcending geography and jurisdiction.”

Appreciating his professional standing, the citation for Kirby’s appointment at Jindal Global Law School reads: “For his significant contribution to the judiciary, comparative and international law, the India-Australia legal relationship and legal education.”

Professor Shaun Star, Executive Director, CIAS and Assistant Dean – Jindal Global Law School, observed, “There has been no greater advocate of the India-Australia bilateral legal relationship than Justice Michael Kirby. We are delighted to host Justice Kirby once again in India. His involvement as a member of the advisory board of the Centre for India Australia Studies and more recently as an Honorary Adjunct Professor of Jindal Global Law School underscore his commitment to promoting stronger ties between our two jurisdictions.” 

Kirby has served as a Deputy President of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission (1975-83); Chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission (1975-84); Judge of the Federal Court of Australia (1983-4); President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal (1984-96); President of the Court of Appeal of Solomon Islands (1995-96) and Justice of the High Court of Australia (1996-2009).

He has undertaken many international activities for the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the OECD and the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Kirby has also worked in civil society, being elected President of the International Commission of Jurists (1995-98). Recent international activities included member of the Eminent Persons Group on the Future of the Commonwealth of Nations (2010-11); Commissioner of the UNDP Global Commission on HIV and the Law (2011-12); Chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry on DPRK (North Korea) (2013-14); and Member of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Access to Essential Healthcare (2015-16).

Kirby’s appointment at JGLS comes at a time when more than 40 Australian students are also visiting JGU under the ‘India Immersion Programme’ convened by the Centre for India Australia Studies (CIAS). Funded by the New Colombo Plan of the Australian government, the annual 3-week residential programme aims to introduce Australian students to the many different facets of India, enabling undergraduate students from leading Australian universities to visit and study in the Indo-Pacific region.

The CIAS is the first and only Centre focusing on the India-Australia bilateral relationship that is embedded in an Indian Higher Education Institution. The CIAS engages with stakeholders from Australia and India to promote deeper ties and meaningful collaborations in the India-Australia relationship.