The Advocate V.C. Rajagopalachariar (VCR) Memorial Lecture was held at VIT Vellore earlier today. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul (Retd.), Former Judge, Supreme Court of India; Former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court and Former Chief Justice of Madras High Court, was the Chief Guest of the event. He delivered a compelling address on “Law and Technology,” highlighting its dual challenge and revolutionary progress. He also stressed the essential need for intensive training for lawyers, judges, and policymakers to harmonise laws internationally and tackle technological challenges effectively.

VIT Founder and Chancellor Dr. G. Viswanathan recollected memories of his days working under VCR and spoke about the human being that he was. He emphasised the urgent need for judicial reforms in India, citing a critical rise in pending court cases, which now total 5.3 crores as of November 2025, with 1.7 lakh pending for over 30 years and 13 cases unresolved for 70 years. He highlighted that India, a flawed democracy ranking 86th in the global Rule of Law Index, must emulate nations like Denmark by drastically increasing its judicial capacity, as it currently only has 15 judges per million population compared to the United States’ 150-151 and China’s 300. He also underscored the alarming social cost of slow justice, noting that nearly 5 lakh prisoners are undertrials, with over 11,000 incarcerated for more than five years without a verdict.