Bhubaneswar: Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Harish Tandon on Saturday said that while technology and artificial intelligence (AI) have significantly improved the efficiency of courts, they can never replace human judgement, compassion and independent legal reasoning.“The AI has brought a paradigm shift in court functioning by enabling faster information processing, but justice ultimately depends on human values. I am not averse to technology as it improves efficiency and helps process information at jet speed, but it cannot replace compassion and reasoning,” he said, while addressing a special convocation of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University, where over 300 scholars were awarded PhD degrees.Emphasising the importance of constitutional morality, Justice Tandon said the rule of law rests on fairness, integrity, dignity and accountability.Quoting a judgement by former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, he stressed that a just society must embrace plurality, diversity, tolerance and empathy.He reminded the law students that an advocate’s foremost duty is to uphold the law with ethics and morality.The university also conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) on Orissa High Court judge Justice Krishna Shripad Dixit, who called for greater investment in research, describing India’s funding in the area as “abysmally low”.BGU launches MBA in business analyticsBirla Global University (BGU) on Saturday inaugurated the first batch of its Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Business Analytics (2026-28), becoming the first varsity in eastern India to offer such a programme. The MBA programme has been designed to provide students with experiential learning opportunities by integrating academic instruction with industry exposure. Senior vice-president of a rooftop solar company, Gaurav Sharma, who was the chief guest at the commencement ceremony — which also marked the induction of the 2026-28 MBA batch — encouraged students to embrace challenges and continuous learning.FMU pact on strengthening startupFakir Mohan University (FMU) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bhubaneswar-based Swabalambi Odisha to strengthen entrepreneurship, innovation and the startup ecosystem on its campus. Under the partnership, the two institutions will establish and support an incubation ecosystem through startup summits, mentorship programmes, skill-development workshops, networking events and industry-academia collaborations. The initiative will also facilitate access to mentors, investors, domain experts and government agencies, besides providing legal, financial and branding support to aspiring entrepreneurs. Swabalambi Odisha will provide strategic guidance for the incubation centre, while FMU will offer institutional support, infrastructure, and promote entrepreneurial activities among students, researchers and faculty.
