Legal Scholar And IDIA Founder Professor Shamnad Basheer Passes Away

(Updated)

Acclaimed legal scholar Professor Shamnad Basheer, 43, was found dead near Chickmagalur in Karnataka today.

He had gone to Bababundangiri on Monday and is suspected to have asphyxiated in his car, as per a report in The New Minute. The police believe that he may have slept off in the car with the heater on.

According to the police, he reached Chikkamagaluru on July 31 and on the third day he went to Bababudangiri. "On August 3, he hired a local driver, Murthy, to go to Bababudangiri. After reaching the place he asked the driver to return in two days to take him back," Harish Pandey, SP, told 'The Hindu'. Basheer often used to visit the hill station for meditation. He was not traceable for four days and his family members filed a missing complaint on Wednesday. The SP said the car was locked from inside and the key was in the ignition. "As of now, there is no material to suggest any foul play," he added.

He is the founder of Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education (IDIA), a trust which works on making legal education accessible for underprivileged students. Expressing sorrow at the tragic development, IDIA has tweeted that it will "continue to carry forward its legacy and work".

It deeply saddens us to inform you that our founder, Prof. Shamnad Basheer has passed away. Each of us not only grieves at the passing of such a tremendous individual but also for the loss the IDIA family suffers. IDIA will continue to carry forward his legacy and work.

— IDIA (@IDIALaw) August 8, 2019

Basheer has been in the forefront of leading the legal battle for bringing reforms in legal education. The IDIA project is his brainchild, which has done wonders by opening the doors of prestigious National Law Schools to students belonging to marginalized communities. Basheer has filed a PIL in the Supreme Court highlighting the issues in the conduct of Common Law Admission Test for entrance to National Law Schools.

His PIL in Delhi High Court claiming exemplary damages for leakage of Aadhaar data is pending.

He graduated from National Law School of India University, Bangalore and did post-graduation at the University of Oxford. He completed the BCL (as a Shell Centenary scholar) and MPhil with distinction.

In 2014, he was awarded the Infosys Science Foundation Prize, 2014 for his contribution to the field of research in humanities.

Basheer was a Ministry of Human Resource Development Chaired Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, and the Frank H. Marks Visiting Associate Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the George Washington University Law School and a research associate at the Oxford Intellectual Property Research Center (OIPRC).  Basheer has taken measures to bring about changes in IPR regime in India. His intervention in the landmark Novartis case is an example.

Known for his specialization in the domain of intellectual property law, Basheer had founded the blog "Spicy IP". He has authored the book "The Invention of an Investment Incentive for Pharmaceutical Innovation" and co-authored the book "Overlapping Intellectual Property Rights", both published by Oxford University Press.

The Live Law team expresses deep sorrow at the untimely passing away of Professor Shamnad Basheer, who was a member of the Advisory Board of Live Law.