Professor Shamnad Basheer, legal scholar and founder of Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA), a non-profit that helped underprivileged students gain access to legal education, was found dead in his car near Bababudanagiri Hills in Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka on Thursday.

A team of officials, led by Harish Pandey, SP, found him dead in his car parked in an open area between Bababudangiri and Manikyadhara. “The exact reason for his death would be known after the post-mortem is done on Friday. It seems like he slept in the car, switching on the heater. Inhaling too much of carbon monoxide could be the reason for his death. There are chances of a short-circuit too,” Harish Pandey told The Hindu.

Mr. Basheer had often visited the hill station for meditation. According to the police, he reached Chikkamagaluru on July 31 and on the third day he went to Bababudangiri. “On August 3, he hired a local driver, Murthy, to go to Bababudangiri. After reaching the place he asked the driver to return in two days to take him back,” the officer said. He was not traceable for four days and his family members filed a missing complaint on Wednesday. The SP said the car was locked from inside and the key was in the ignition. “As of now, there is no material to suggest any foul play,” he added.

Basheer founded IDIA in 2010 to help students from rural and disadvantaged backgrounds crack entrance exams for law schools. Basheer hoped that legal education for students from such backgrounds would not only empower them but also bring diversity in courts. IDIA scholars who graduated from law schools have been appointed judges.

“It saddens us to inform you that our founder Prof Shamnad Basheer has passed away. Each of us not only grieves at the passing of such a tremendous individual but also for the loss the IDIA family suffers. IDIA will continue to carry forward his legacy and work,” IDIA said on its Twitter account.

Graduated from the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, did his postgraduation at the University of Oxford. He taught at the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata and in the University of Illinois. He is one among the noted experts on intellectual property law. He was awarded the Infosys Science Foundation Prize in 2014 for his contribution to the field of research in humanities.