Martyrs Remembered in the 94th Foundation Day of Delhi University

On the 94^th Foundation Day programme in the Delhi University, Bhagat Singh came again and again through speeches, while martyrs were remembered for their significant contribution. The three Supreme Court judges, who were facilitated by the university, Justices Madan Lokur, Rohinton Fali Nariman and Arjan Kumar along with their families were given a tour of the underground bunker where Bhagat Singh had been incarcerated.

Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi of DU in his address said, “The Delhi University is built during the British Raj, but it now exists in free India. We must respect the memory of our freedom fighters, sacrifices or people like Bhagat Singh and be sensitive to the feeling of people who are his great admirers.” The judges felicitated were all alumni of Delhi University colleges and were students of Faculty of Law. With hoisting the national flag, the programme kicked off.

One of the felicitated judges Nariman, in his address said, “In 1931, the spinning wheel was replaced with Ashoka’s great chakra- the wheel of law or dharma. Ashoka spoke through rock edicts. The 13^th edict tells us that dharma or the spirit of dharma is neither extolling the virtue of your own religion nor denigrating another. This is very important for today’s milieu.” In his address too, there was mention of Bhagat Singh, as he said, “He was 23 year old kid. It’s nice we remember him like this.”

Various teachers from different streams were felicitated for their contribution in the field of teaching. The HRD Minister Smriti Irani was also invited to the programme, but she could not make it due to her commitments. For the first time the DU Teacher’s Association members took part in the programme. Suggestion like inviting active judges and lawyers to the classes and undergoing research in the field of law were made by the lawyers felicitated in the programme.