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Diversity in the Legal & Judicial Profession: The Politics of Merit and Exclusion in India

A hybrid (in-person and online) symposium funded by the Reid Research Fund of the Royal Holloway (University of London) to examine diversity challenges in the Indian legal and judicial profession and to explore the notions of merit and exclusion.

Date & Time: 12-13 June (9AM-6PM BST), 2024

Venue: 102 & 104, Senate House, Royal Holloway, University of London

Convenors- Shailesh Kumar & Arvind Kumar, Lecturers in Department of Law & Criminology, Royal Holloway, University of London 

Symposium Programme

DAY 1: 12 JUNE

9:00-9:30 Breakfast

9:30-9:45 Welcome & Inauguration-

Prof. Ravinder Barn, Head of Department, Department of Law and Criminology, Royal Holloway, University of London   

9:45-10:30 Keynote Speaker

Rajinder Kashyap, Member, Central Administrative Tribunal & Former Special Secretary (Appointments), Government of India

10:30-12:00

SESSION 1

GENDER AND INDIAN JUDICIARY

 

Chair- Varsha Gaikwad, Jindal Global Law School

1.     Swati (Saint Xavier University, Kolkata): Constitutional Goal of Gender Justice

2.     Mahima Sharma (Mahraja Surajmal Institute, Delhi): Exploring Gender Representation and Challenges faced by Women in India

3.     Priti Saxena & Shraddha Srivastava (BBAU, Lucknow): Paucity of Women Judges at Apex Court: Cause and Effect Over Administration of Justice

4.     Neha Saxena (Presidency University, Begaluru): Legal Rights and Discrimination: A Critical Analysis of Transgender Rights in India

5.     Mihir Rajamane (KCL, London): Can Judges Say 'I Don't Know'

6.     Disha (Jamia Millia Islamia): From Margins to Bench: Envisioning a Truly Inclusive Indian Judiciary with Queer Representation

12:00-1:00

LUNCH

1:00- 2:30

MODERATOR-

Dr. Ivica Petrikova, Royal Holloway, University of London

GUEST SPEAKERS-

Prof. Ravivarma Kumar, Former Advocate General, Karnataka

Dr. K. S. Chauhan, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India 

2:30-4:00

SESSION 2

JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS AND COLLEGIUM SYSTEM

 

 

Chair- Arvind Kumar, Royal Holloway, University of London

1.     Anupama Arigala (SOAS, University of London): Appointment of Judges to the Constitutional Courts in India

2.     Arun Kumar & Amandeep (Punjabi University, Bathinda): Judicial Appointments and Collegium System in India

3.     Banani Ghosh (University of Delhi): Breaking Barriers: Exploring Gender Disparity in India's Supreme Court

4.     Raj Kumar & Parul Sharma (University of Jammu): Evaluating the Efficacy of the Indian Collegium System in Judicial Appointments

5.     Banhita Bose & Pubali Datta (Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata): A Critique of Collegium System

6.     Nikhil Adsule (IIT, Delhi), Interrogating Modesty - A curious case of the Supreme Court and fractured idea of Modernity

4:00-5:30

SESSION 3

INEQUALITY AND INDIAN JUDICIARY

 

Chair- Varsha Aithala, NLSIU, Bengaluru

1.     Deepa Das Acevedo (Emory University) & Deepika Kinhal (Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy): Recruitment and Evaluation Across Indian Courts

2.     Anjali Gupta & Umang Gupta (Banasthali Vidyapith): Unveiling the Hidden Reality: Male Domestic Violence in India

3.     Aruna Mahananda (Essex University): Prejudices in Rural Policing in India

4.     Nandini Mittal (NUALS, Kochi): A Necessary Feminist Revision of the Methods of Judicial Edict for True Inclusivity in Judging in India

5.     Ishika Gautam & Rajeev Kumar Singh (Amity University, Lucknow): Embracing Diversity as a Catalyst for Transformation Strategies for India & The UK

6.     Srisruthi K. Manjunath (HS Legal Solicitors, Colchester) and Shaji Muthappan (CIST, Chennai): Cogitation on the Nexus of Meritocracy and Exclusion

DAY 2: 13 JUNE

9:30-11:00

SESSION 1A

GENDER AND JUDGING

 

Chair- Charvi Rajput, Queen Marry, University of London

1.     Deepak Kumar & Isha Tiwari (Bennett University): Indian Judiciary Controlling Women's Sexual Autonomy

2.     Mimansa Joshi (NLU Punjab): Unveiling Complexity Gender Sexuality and Judging in the Indian Judiciary

3.     Rahul Jain, Bhabani Sonowal, Neha Chaudhary (Bennett University): Protecting the Rights of LGBTQIA

4.     Sonia Rajoriya (Gitarattan International Business School): Gender, Sexuality & Judging

5.     Shabeeba N. Noorainganakam (University of Delhi): Gender, Sexuality, and Judgment in Women's Prisons

6.     Shivam Gaur & Himanshi Babbar (Bennett University): Gender Neutrality in the Definition of Sexual Offences Under Indian Criminal Law

11:00-12:30

SESSION 2A

JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE AND EXECUTIVE INTERFERENCE

 

Chair- Kumaresh Singh, Patna High Court

1.     Piyush Bharti (NALSAR University of Law): Tug of War

2.     Purushottam Kumar (Chief Legal Manager, ICICI) & Tanushri (Advocate, Patna High Court): Unravelling the Knots in Pillars of Democracy

3.     Shikha Vasishta (Bennett University): Higher Judicial Appointments and Judicial Independence

4.     Rashmi Sinha (CNLU Patna): Government Policy Decisions and the Role of Indian Judiciary Against Abuse of Power

5.     Alfiya Latheef (NUALS Kerala): Origins of Judicial Activism & Its Usage by the Indian Judiciary to Establish Constitutional Aspirations

6.     Tamasi Biswas (Adamas University, West Bengal): Judicial Adventurism or Executive’s Authoritarian Attitude: The Tug-of-War Yielding to India's Democratic Regression

12:30-1:30

GUEST SPEAKERS-

Dilip Mandal, Senior Journalist

Nishant Ranjan, The Hindustan Times

1:30-2:00

LUNCH

2:00-3:30

SESSION 3A

THE QUEST FOR JUDICIAL REFORMS

 

Chair- Madhuri Xaxlo, SOAS, University of London

1.     Neelam Seam (Gitarattan International Business School): Justice Unveiled Unpacking the Dynamics of Judicial Reform in Combatting Inequality

2.     Rimjhim Rana & Sanya Yadav (Bennett University): Revealing Gender Discrepancy in the Indian Judiciary

3.     Madhu Kumari & Pooja Rana (Amity University): The Land Rights of Tribal Women in Jharkhand, India: An Interpretative Analysis

4.     Showkat Ahmad Wani (Alliance University, Bengaluru) & Dhriti Bole (NMIMS, Bengaluru): In the Halls of Justice: Fair Criticism of Indian Judiciary

5.     Noopur Maurya (Research Fellow, JNU): Fragmented Transformative Approach and Politics of Exclusion

6.     Vishakha Chele, Unveiling Caste, Gender, and Privilege: A Critical Analysis of the Indian Legal Landscape

3:30-5:00

SESSION 4A

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CAPITAL IN LEGAL PROFESSION

 

Chair-Shrikant Borkar, Royal Holloway, University of London

1.     Manish Tiwari (University of Lucknow): Exploring the Gender Dynamics Within the Indian Judiciary

2.     Senjuti Chakrabarti (Advocate, WB Legal Services Authority): Unheard Courtroom Stories: Exploring the Exclusive Nature of Indian Litigation System through Experiences of Women Lawyers.

3.     Puranjoy Ghosh & Aniruddha Roy (KIIT Law School, Orisa): Balancing the Scales: The Rise of Women in India’s Legal Landscape

4.     Preeti Sharma (Amity University Noida): From Barriers to Bench: The Intersectional Exclusion of Women in the Indian Judiciary

5.     Pradumn Gautam (Advocate, Allahabad High Court): Exclusion from Bar Council of State through Higher Fee

6.     Subham Kanu (MS University of Baroda): From Personal Laws to the UCC

DAY 2: 13 JUNE (PARALLEL SESSION)

9:30-11:00

SESSION 1B

        IDEOLOGY AND JUDICIAL POPULISM

 

Chair- Asang Wankhede, University of Oxford

1.     Najeed N Siddiqui (Vinayaka Mission Law School, Chennai): Walking the Labyrinth of Justice

2.     Shruti Chaturvedi (Bansthali Vidhyapith, Rajasthan): Ideology in Judicial Decision-Making and Autocratic Legalism

3.     Anshu Kumar (CPS, JNU): Judicial Populism and Democracy in India

4.     Naresh Prajapati (Central University of Punjab, Bathinda):

Examining the Legality and Ethics of Electoral Bonds Insights from Indian Judiciary

5.     Mamta Patel (GD Goenka University Haryana): A Critical Analysis of the Right to Information with Emphasis on Political Parties

11:00: 12:30

SESSION 2B

LEGAL EDUCATION IN THE ERA OF NEOLIBERALISM

 

Chair- Mayank Yadav, Delhi High Court/University of Delhi

1.     Nivedita Chaudhary (Amity University, Gurgaon) & Srishti Chaturvedi (NLIU Bhopal): Transformation of Indian Legal Education in the Face of Contemporary Challenges

2.     Shivam (GGSIU): Women in Indian Legal Education: A Socio-Legal Analysis

3.     Subhagata Chowdhury (Sister Nivedita University): The Commodification of Legal Education: Neoliberalism’s Effects and Solutions

4.     Tashmoyee Mukherjee (Sister Nivedita University): Impact of Neoliberal Ideals on Legal Education

5.     Arunava Banerjee (Ashoka University): Rethinking Pedagogical Systems of International Law Education in India

6.     Adya Pandey (Amity University): Neoliberal Thought and Legal Education

12:30-1:30

MODERATOR-

Shailesh Kumar, Royal Holloway, University of London 

GUEST SPEAKERS-

Nishant Ranjan, The Hindustan Times

Dilip Mandal, Senior Journalist

1:30-2:00

LUNCH

2:00-3:30

SESSION 3B

DATA, TECHNOLOGY AND VISUAL CULTURE IN JUDICIARY  

 

Chair- Shailesh Kumar, Royal Holloway, University of London

1.     Anushka Khadse (NLU Nagpur): Empowering Change: Can Court Automation Revolutionize Gender Equality in the Legal System?

2.     Khursheed Jamil (KR Mangalam University, Gurugram): Artificial Intelligence and Legal System in India: A Realist View

3.     John Varghese (Kerala Judicial Academy): Datafication of the Judicial Case Management in India

4.     Sarthak Pathroliya (DNLU Jabalpur) & Sakshi Rajoriya (Banasthali Vidyapith): Digital Transformation and Access to Justice: A Critical Analysis of India's Judiciary Modernization

5.     Siddhant Sukhlecha & Arya Gupta (CNLU Patna): Justice on Trial: The Impact of Hollywood's Courtroom Dramas on the Reputation of Legal Professionals

6.     Aishwarya Pagedar (Jindal Global Law School): Picture Legal Hai!

3:30-5:00

SESSION 4B

POLITICS OF MERIT AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN JUDICIAL RECRUITMENT

 

Chair- Rakesh Singh, Jindal Global Law School

1.     Ashok Kumar Sharma (Meerut College, CCS University, Meerut): Wholesome Justice: Observing the Ignorance of Law Professors in Judicial Recruitment in India

2.     Vishal Sharma & Sourish M Pillai (Bennett University): The Feminine Gavel Confronting Patriarchy in India's Supreme Court

3.     Shikha Kumari (JMFC, Vaishali): Gender Perspective in Judges: Whilst Inclusion is Uphill

4.     Subrata S Satapathy (Christ Academy Institute of Law, Bengaluru): Affirmative Action and Inclusion of Transgenders in the Indian Judiciary System

5.     Mukul Kumar Choudhary (University of Delhi) & Raj Krishna (NLIU, Bhopal): Politics of Merit, Affirmative Action and Judicial Recruitment: A Case Study of Jharkhand High Court

6.     Sugato Mukherjee (Amity University, Haryana): Gender Neutrality Under Indian Law: A Burning Necessity

5:00-6:00

FUTURE COURSE OF ACTION & CLOSING REMARKS

 

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