In the last decade of the 19th century the Secretary of State, sanctioned the establishment of Madras
Law College (Renamed as Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College on the birth centenary of
Dr.Ambedkar in reverence of his contribution to the Indian legal system and the society), on the
advice of Council of Legal studies in London, based on the proposal of Director of Public
Instruction, Mr.H.B. Grig
g, supported by Justice Muthuswami Iyer. On 2nd May 1891, the first
Principal assumed office. For more than 7 years, the classes took place in the Senate Hall of Madras University. As a measure
to keep the College as close to the Court as possible, the new Building for the College was
constructed adjacent to the High Court. In 1899 the Law College took its residence in the current
location. In 1953, the Government of Madras established the Directorate of Legal Studies, under the
control of which the College was brought. In 1996 the Tamil Nadu Dr.Ambedkar Law University
was established as a central University for the whole of Tamil Nadu for legal education. The college
is affiliated to the same from the academic year 1997-98. The college is known for having produced great visionaries and leaders. Many eminent Jurists and
personalities have been students of this long standing institution. Some of them have held important
Constitutional posts, and have also been important members of the Union Cabinet. Some of them
are C.Rajagopalachari (first Governor General of Independent India), R.Venkataraman (President of
India), Justice Patanjali Sastri, Justice K. Subba Rao (Chief Justices of India), Justice V.R.Krishna
Iyer (Judge, Supreme Court of India), K.Parasaran, G.Ramaswamy (Attorney Generals of India),
K.Sathasivam (Former Chief Justice of India and presently Governor of Kerala), and various other
retired and sitting Supreme Court Judges.
