History
Prof. (Dr.) K. Chockalingam**
Founder Secretary, ISC
When the Master’s degree programme in Criminology and Forensic Science was started in the year 1965 in Tamil Nadu, it was housed at the Madras Medical College and the students used to visit various government departments, such as police, prisons, forensic science and forensic medicine, and attend the lectures delivered by the specialists/experts/practitioners in relevant fields related to the broad field of criminology. For the subjects like psychology of crime and delinquency and sociology of crime, we used to go to the Department of Psychology of the University of Madras and attend the classes of Professor T.E. Shanmugam and his colleagues.
The first batch of students of criminology were about to complete their 2-year course in September 1967. At that time, Dr Sivamurthy and I in the first and second batches of the programme respectively, started the Criminology and Forensic Science Study Circle, a small academic forum for the students to gain leadership qualities with the support of our teachers by inviting some outside experts and organize some special lectures. Professor T.E. Shanmugam, the then Head of the Department of Psychology of the University of Madras was the President and Mr N. Pitchandi, the then Director of Forensic Sciences, Government of Tamil Nadu was the Vice President of the Study Circle.
We met the then Inspector General of Police of Tamil Nadu Mr F.V. Arul, I.P. and Mr R.M. Mahadevan, I.P. then Director of Vigilance and Anti-corruption and requested both these reputed persons in Indian Police Service to be the patrons of our Study Circle. Both of them admired our efforts and agreed to be patrons of our forum which was a big boost for the young students. It was a great learning opportunity for us to organize and conduct meetings, special lectures, etc. under the auspices of this forum.
Dr Sivamurthy was the first Secretary of the Study Circle when it was established in April 1967. After he completed his Masters course in September 1967 and left the Department, I succeeded him as the Secretary of the Criminology and Forensic Science Study Circle. As I continued for my research in the Department of Psychology after passing out my Master’s degree, I also continued as the Secretary of the Criminology & Forensic Science Study Circle and we organized many programmes inviting several experts.
When I was a Research Scholar in the University of Madras, once Mr Pitchandi called me to his house on a Sunday in the early months of 1970 and he told me that he had long discussions with Professor T.E. Shanmugam, the President of the Criminology and Forensic Science Study Circle about a new proposal of expanding the small forum of Criminology and Forensic Science Study Circle into a national level professional organization where in all those interested in the scientific study of crime, exchange and dissemination of criminological knowledge for the benefit of society could be enlisted as members and organize annual conferences, seminars, special lectures and workshops and also publish a journal where the new knowledge and scientific studies and their findings could be published.
Our long deliberations on that Sunday were followed up and a meeting was convened in the Department of Psychology, University of Madras by Professor T.E. Shanmugam as the convener of the meeting to consider the proposal whether we should convert the Study Circle into a national organization for criminology. Mr R.L. Srinivasan, a retired judge and a part time criminal law teacher for the students of criminology was requested to chair and conduct the proceedings of that special meeting. That historic meeting in the year 1970 unanimously resolved to convert the Study Circle into a national organization in the name and title of Indian Society of Criminology (ISC) established in 1970.
Professor T.E. Shanmugam and Mr N. Pitchandi were unanimously elected as the Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Society, respectively, with me as the Founder Secretary and Mr K. Mani, another research scholar in criminology as the treasurer, with a group of people including the Deputy Inspector General of Police Mr P. Paramaguru in the Executive Committee of ISC. It was also decided to have Hon’ble Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, a jurist and the then Judge of the Supreme Court of India to be the Honorary President of ISC whose responsibility was to deliver the presidential address at the annual conference of the ISC.
The ISC was formally inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr M. Karunanidhi on 18 November 1970 in which, the two doyens, one, the legal luminary Mr S. Govind Swaminadhan, the then Advocate General of Tamil Nadu and the other, Mr R.M. Mahadevan, the then Inspector General of Police of Tamil Nadu addressed a large gathering of audience which included several ministers of the Tamil Nadu cabinet and many civil servants, police officers, University Professors and students in the historic Senate hall of Madras University, hailing the establishment of ISC and emphasizing the need for such a professional organization for the study, research, exchange and dissemination of scientific ideas in criminology.
Photo taken on 18 November 1970: Photo Courtesy: Professor K. Chockalingam.
Sitting are (From L to R) : Mr. Govind Swaminadhan, Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, Mr.R.M. Mahadevan, I.P., Inspector General of Police, Tamil Nadu, Mr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Professor Dr. T.E. Shanmugam, Founder Chairman of ISC. Mr. K.Chockalingam, as Founder Secretary of ISC welcoming the gathering.
The ISC focused on many issues relating to criminology, juvenile delinquency, crimes against women and children and correction of offenders in its annual conferences, seminars and workshops.
* Forms a part of the article titled “Some Random Thoughts about Victimological Movement in the World with Special Reference to India”, Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice. Available for free download at http://journals.sagepub.com/d…/full/10.1177 /2516606918764999 Published with permission.
** Professor K. Chockalingam is presently Chairperson, Executive Council, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India. He was the Founding Head of the Department of Criminology, University of Madras and Former Vice Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. He is the Founder Secretary of the Indian Society of Criminology (Established 1970) and Founder President of the Indian Society of Victimology (Established 1991). He is the Founder of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli (Established 2003).