Eminent Constitutional Law Scholar and Former NUJS Vice-Chancellor Prof. M.P. Singh Passes Away at 85

Former NUJS Vice-Chancellor and eminent constitutional law scholar Professor Mahendra Pal Singh passed away on March 7, 2026, at the age of 85. Widely respected in academic and legal circles, he made significant contributions to constitutional and administrative law through decades of teaching, research, and scholarship.

Born on July 15, 1940, Prof. Singh built a distinguished academic career that spanned several leading institutions in India. Over the years, he became known as one of the country’s most respected voices in public law and constitutional scholarship.

He served as a Professor and later as Dean at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, where he mentored generations of law students and scholars. His teaching style and academic work helped shape many discussions around constitutional interpretation and administrative governance in India.

Prof. Singh later served as the Vice-Chancellor of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata, from 2006 to 2011. During his tenure, the university expanded its research initiatives, strengthened faculty recruitment, and enhanced its academic standing among India’s premier law schools.

Beyond administrative leadership, Prof. Singh was widely admired for his scholarship in constitutional law, administrative law, comparative law, and human rights. His academic work consistently focused on the relationship between law, governance, and democratic accountability.

Among his most widely recognised contributions was his association with the authoritative constitutional law commentary “V.N. Shukla’s Constitution of India.” The book remains one of the most widely cited and relied upon reference texts for students, lawyers, judges, and scholars studying the Indian Constitution.

Through his writings and lectures, Prof. Singh contributed significantly to the development of comparative public law scholarship in India. He also held visiting academic positions at several international universities, where he engaged with scholars and students on constitutional governance and legal theory.

His academic work often addressed complex issues surrounding constitutional interpretation, the functioning of public institutions, and the evolving role of law in protecting rights and promoting social justice.

Over several decades, Prof. Singh’s scholarship influenced both classroom learning and broader academic debates. His work continues to guide legal research and constitutional understanding among students, academics, and practitioners across the country.

The legal academic community has widely remembered him as a dedicated teacher, a thoughtful scholar, and a respected institutional leader. His contributions to legal education and constitutional law will remain an enduring part of India’s legal scholarship.