Thiruvananthapuram,9 Dec (H.S.): Dr. Shivakumar from Kerala, Senior Professor at the Indian Law Institute, has been appointed as a Member of the Central Authority of the National Legal Services Authority (NLSA) by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
The appointment was officially notified in the Gazette of India on December 1, 2025, under Section 3(2)(d) of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, which empowers the Central Government to nominate eminent persons from the field of legal education to the apex legal aid body.
A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. Shivakumar brings with him over three decades of distinguished academic and administrative experience in legal education, policy formulation, judicial reforms, and legal empowerment.
His elevation to the NLSA Central Authority is being widely welcomed as a moment of pride for Kerala’s legal and academic community.
Dr. Shivakumar is currently the President of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) and has earlier served as a Full-Time Member of the 21st Law Commission of India, contributing to several key national legal reform initiatives.
He had earlier served as the National Programme Advisor to NLSA from 2008 to 2011, during which he played a pivotal role in strengthening nationwide legal awareness programmes, community outreach mechanisms, and access-to-justice frameworks.
Beyond academia, Dr. Shivakumar has been actively associated with Kerala’s No Drugs Programme, contributing to public education, youth-focused awareness initiatives, and preventive legal strategies against substance abuse.
Through his work with CLEA, he has also led several Farmers’ Rights advocacy programmes, rural legal literacy drives, and community empowerment initiatives.
At present, he is engaged in developing a Citizen’s Rights Education Programme at the school level, aimed at nurturing informed, responsible, and rights-conscious future citizens.
As a Member of the Central Authority of NLSA, Dr. Shivakumar is expected to play a key role in shaping national legal aid policy, strengthening legal service delivery systems, and advancing access to justice for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalised sections of society.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
