Prime Minister of India condoles demise of a noted Indian American personality
Our Bureau
Denver, CO
Professor Ved Prakash Nanda, a noted Indian American legal scholar, passed away on January 1. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the demise of noted legal scholar, Professor Ved Prakash Nanda. Shri Modi said that Professor Ved Prakash Nanda’s work highlights his strong commitment to legal education.
Late Shri Ved P. Nanda was a Distinguished University Professor and Thompson G. Marsh Professor of Law at the University of Denver, where he founded the International Legal Studies Program in 1972 and directed the Ved Nanda Center for International and Comparative Law.
The Center was established in his honor by alumni and friends, who have also endowed a professorship in his name. He has received Honorary Doctorates of Law from Soka University, Tokyo, Japan, and Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India, and has taught and lectured at several universities in the U.S. and abroad. He was also an Honorary Professor of Law at the University of Delhi, India.
The Prime Minister of India posted on X, “Deeply saddened by the passing away of Professor Ved Prakash Nanda Ji, a distinguished academic whose contributions to the legal field are invaluable. His work highlights his strong commitment to legal education. He was also a prominent member of the Indian diaspora in USA and was passionate about strong India-USA relations. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti.”
Professor Nanda held many leadership positions in the global international law community, including the World Jurist Association, American Society of International Law, International Law Association, American Law Institute, and the American Bar Association’s Human Rights Center and Section of International Law.
He has also served as a U.S. delegate to the World Federation of the United Nations Associations in Geneva and on the governing council of the United Nations Association of the USA. He served as an officer and board member in several international and national NGOs. He was the Chair of the Uberoi Foundation for Religious Studies.
He has received numerous national and international awards, has authored or co-authored 24 books and over 225 chapters and law review articles in international and comparative law, used to write a column for the Denver Post, and was a regular commentator in both the electronic and print media.
In March 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind presented Professor Nanda with the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards given by the Government of India. And in April, the American Bar Association International Law Section conferred on him the Louis B. Sohn Award, for “distinguished, longstanding contributions to the field of public international law.”
