Dr. KN Chandrasekharan Pillai, a distinguished legal jurist, author, former director of the Indian Law Institute, and the founder and director of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), passed away on Friday at the age of 81.

Hailing from Alappuzha district in Kerala, Dr. Pillai completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Kerala and earned his LLB and LLM from the University of Delhi.

Dr. Pillai began his career by practicing law before the Supreme Court of India, later transitioning to academia at the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University.

Dr. Pillai later moved to CUSAT, where he served as the dean of the School of Legal Studies. He went on to become the founding director of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kochi and later worked as the director of the Indian Law Institute. Additionally, he held the position of director at the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal.

Dr. Pillai was also a member of the editorial board for several prestigious publications, including the Cochin University Law Review, Academy Law Review, Kerala Bar Council News, and the Bangalore Law Journal. He served as the editor of the Journal of the Indian Law Institute. Additionally, Dr. Pillai authored several books on criminal law.