Daijiworld Media Network - Chikkamagaluru (SP)

Chikkamagaluru, Aug 9: Well-known Indian legal scholar, founder of a trust, 'Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education', and SpicyIP blog, Shamnad Basheer (47), breathed his last near Inam Dattapeeta in the district on Wednesday, August 7. His death came due to volatile weather, it is said.

Basheer had visited the town on July 28 for health check-up. He was to return on August 5. He had stayed in a hotel near KSRTC bus stand here. On August 3, he went to Bababudangiri in his Skoda car alone.

The hotel manager, who was concerned about the fact that Basheer did not return to the hotel even after two days, contacted Basheer's relatives and friends. A search was launched for Prof Basheer on August 7 with the support of local police.

Basheer's car was found to have stopped near the Z point on way to Manikya Dhara of Inam Dattapeeta. He was found to have breathed his last inside his car. It is suspected that Basheer would have died of extreme cold and rainy conditions in this hilly terrain. The glass windows of the car were found to have been locked and chances of his dying out of suffocation is also a possibility.

Basheer was basically from Bengaluru. He held degree in law. He had worked as assistant professor in George Washington University in 2008. He had hogged limelight on account of a series of public interest litigations and was known as a legend of India. He had won Infosys Science Foundation award in 2014 for humanitarian service.

Indian legal scholar and founder of SpicyIP blog. Basheer was also the founder of Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education - a trust which works on making legal education accessible for underprivileged students.