BG Verghese Memorial Lecture
The Media Foundation instituted the BG Verghese Memorial Lecture in 2015 in memory of the legendary editor BG Verghese, who passed away in December 2014. Verghese, one of the founders of TMF, and also its chairperson, had remained the organisation’s guiding light until his passing.
In the 10 years since its inception, the memorial lecture, which is supported by the Verghese family and the India International Centre, New Delhi, has been delivered by a number of eminent personalities such as former Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Justice AP Shah, Justice Madan Lokur, former Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari, former Union minister for environment Jairam Ramesh, former Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian Alan Rusbridger, among others.
The BG Verghese Memorial Lecture 2025 was delivered by Justice S Muralidhar on Media, Courts and Freedom of Expression.
Justice S Muralidhar, who became a judge of the Delhi High Court in 2006, is known for his many bold and progressive judgments — the decriminalisation of homosexuality, the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the sentencing of 16 policemen for the Hashimpura killings, and granting bail to Gautam Navlakha, arrested in the Elgar Parishad case — to name a few.
He became Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court in January 2021 and retired in August 2023. As a judge, he delivered judgments in every branch of law, including constitutional, commercial, arbitration law, tax and criminal laws. Many of his judgments have contributed to the development of law in that field. As Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, he spearheaded administrative and judicial reforms, both in the High Court and the district courts.
In October 2023 Justice Muralidhar was designated as Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court of India and has since returned to practice.
Read the text of his BG Verghese Memorial lecture here.
BG VERGHESE (1927-2014), editor extraordinaire and staunch upholder of the freedom of the press, started his career with The Times of India and later became editor of Hindustan Times and The Indian Express. A recipient of the Magsaysay Award (1975), Verghese was uncompromising in his commitment to free speech and the citizen’s right to know. He was information advisor to the Prime Minister (1966-69) and a Gandhi Peace Foundation Fellow.
Verghese had a keen and enduring interest in developmental reporting and the social transformation it can help bring about. He wrote a number of books, including Reorienting India: Rage, Reconciliation and Security (2008), First Draft: Witness to the Making of Modern India (2010) and Post Haste: Quintessential India (2014).
Read more about BG Verghese at https://www.bgverghese.com/
Members and guests at TMF’s annual event
