Students should develop strong moral character for successful life: SC Judge

Students should develop strong moral character that is woven patiently from threads of principle, doctrine and obedience to become successful in life and career, said Justice R. Mahadevan, Judge, Supreme Court of India, on Saturday.

In his inaugural address at 40th convocation of VIT at its campus here, Justice Mr. Mahadevan said that strong moral character helps to make consistent correct choices in the trials and testing of life. It helps a person to grow as leaders of tomorrow to guide fellow citizens of the country. “Righteous character provides the foundation of spiritual strength which will lead to success in your entire life. Students should have faith in themselves to face challenges in life,” he said.

The Judge emphasised on the importance of reading among students as it is the gateway to the world of knowledge. Students should deepen and broaden their knowledge in every field to become more stronger in human values, he said.

In his presidential address, G. Viswanathan, founder and chancellor, VIT, said that at present, parents especially from the middle and lower class were finding it challenging to pay fees of their children especially for higher studies in private universities. In this regard, the government should share at least a portion of fees paid by parents as it will encourage more students from rural areas to pursue higher education. “Tamil Nadu tops in allocating the highest share of its budget allocation for education in the country with 21% of its budget in 2025-26. On the contrary, the Centre has allocated only 2.5% of its budget allocation of Rs 55 lakh crore for education this year (2025-26).

On the occasion, Sandeep Rai Rathore, Director General of Police, Training, Police Training Headquarters, Chennai, received his Ph.D in Disaster Mitigation and Management at VIT, Vellore. A total of 11,563 students got their degree certificates including 451 PhD scholars.

Earlier, as part of the event, Abdul Kalam and Jagadish Chandra Bose blocks, which were men’s hostels, were inaugurated by Justice Mr. Mahadevan. Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan, vice-presidents, VIT, were present.