The NLS Annual Themed Conference 2019 is part of the Bridging Silos Project funded by Ford Foundation and the conference aims to explore the ideas of “Transformative Constitutionalism” theoretically as well as in the context of Indian law and policy.
The conference aims to discuss and exchange ideas of what it means to practice transformative constitutionalism. In such a discussion, contemporary legal developments relating to the constitutionality of discriminatory adultery laws, LGBT rights, Aadhar, freedom to worship and the right to dissent exemplify the promise and pitfalls of a ‘transformative constitution’. In some of the decisions, the Supreme Court has taken a step towards fulfilling the Constitutional mandate of equal treatment and protection of individual liberty of all signifying the redemptive potential of the Indian Constitution to implement rights and freedoms in an effective manner. However, in others, the court may have failed to appreciate the values of the Constitution fully.
Finally, we aim through this conference to imagine the practice of transformative constitutionalism on legal issues that have so far not been dealt with in a definitive manner, but continue to pose challenges. These may be the adjudication of contentious issues such as the acceptability of the death penalty, the rights of accused persons, or issues such as the criminalization of marital rape. The conference aims to bring together students, academicians and practitioners of law to apply their understanding of transformative constitutionalism to issues such as these.
In this context, the conference invites paper abstracts on any topic looking at the transformative nature of the constitution. Papers can include, but are not limited to the following topics:
- Sedition Laws
- Juvenile Justice Act and the Amendments
- Rights of Transgenders
- Reservations in Promotion/Implications of 103rd amendment
- Death Penalty
- Prisoners Rights
- Science and Technology – Data Privacy issues/Surveillance Issues etc.
- Right to Privacy o Manual Scavenging – Examining the adequacy of the Legal Framework o Surrogacy Laws
- LGBT Rights and moving forward in the light of Sec. 377 judgment
- Women’s equality issues in Private Sphere/Family Life/ Public Sphere
- Adultery Judgment
- PIL – Public Interest Litigation
- Any other area reflecting Transformative Constitutionalism
For details on submission guidelines, method of submission, timeline, registration and other information, kindly refer to the official notification.