KUALA LUMPUR – The late Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram’s family has donated over 10,000 books, journals and law reports worth around RM9 million to Universiti Malaya’s (UM) Law Faculty.
In a statement to Scoop today, the faculty said that the donation was made by Gopal’s widow, Datin Seri Chandra Sri Ram, to the nation’s highest ranking tertiary education institute in memory of her granduncle, the world renowned librarian and information scientist, S.R. Ranganathan.
“The gift is significant in that it commemorates the relationship of the late (Gopal) with UM’s law faculty. Equally important is the fact that the gift is made in memory of (Ranganathan), who developed the first major faceted library classification system, the colon classification.
“The collection (of donated materials) is not only useful for law students and practitioners, but also to anyone seeking to conduct legal and archival research into rare law and legal science books from all parts of the Commonwealth,” Law Faculty Dean Prof Jason Chuah said.
Chuah added that the collection contains one of the region’s most comprehensive catalogues of books on administrative law, especially on judicial reviews.
The statement noted that the books are awaiting cataloguing and shelving in the faculty’s library, a task Chief Law Librarian Adida Mohd Amin will be undertaking with her team to ensure that the collection is ready for use by the time a commemorative ceremony is held next year.
UM Vice Chancellor, Prof Datuk Seri Noor Azuan Abu Osman, also expressed his gratitude to Chandra for making this important contribution to the university’s intellectual presence for generations to come.
Previously, a video circulated online featured the repository of more than 10,000 reading materials generously contributed by former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram's family.
— Scoop (@Scoopdotmy) December 4, 2023
📹: Social media pic.twitter.com/IqZCUBP8w9
Previously, a video circulated online featured the repository of reading materials generously contributed by the late Gopal’s family.
Gopal, a former Federal Court judge, passed away at the age of 79 on January 29 this year following complications arising from a lung infection.
At the time of his death, Gopal was serving as senior deputy public prosecutor in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) corruption trial, involving now-incarcerated former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Gopal was also the lead prosecutor for Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s RM7 million graft trial involving a solar hybrid project.
The prominent legal eagle was first called to the Malaysian Bar in 1970, practising law until he was elevated to become a Court of Appeal judge in 1994, after which he was promoted to become a Federal Court judge in 2009.
His elevation to the Court of Appeal made him the first legal practitioner in Malaysia to be promoted directly to an appellate court from private practice without first serving as a judicial commissioner or high court judge.
Gopal retired from the judiciary in 2010, after which he returned to private practice. – December 4, 2023