NLSIU

Law School NewsOthers

The Legal Services Clinic of the National Law School of India University is a student-run committee that seeks to increase access to the law through legal literacy programmes and free legal aid. In an effort to connect law students and legal aid clinics across the state we are organizing the first “Round Table Conference on Student-run Legal Aid” to create a legal aid network in Karnataka.

We invite you to join us in this conference where we shall be releasing our booklet “Frequently Asked Questions on the Law” in both Kannada and English. It serves as an easy-to-access handbook which addresses major legal questions and suggests ways in which ordinary citizens can use the law to secure their rights. The book both in Kannada and English will be distributed throughout the Karnataka State in collaboration with the Karnataka State legal Services Authority (KSLSA).

In addition to the book release, the conference also has a round-table discussion with members of other student-run legal aid committees scheduled. This seeks to be a platform for the crucial and much-needed discussion on how student-run legal aid clinics can be made functional and effective in law universities. We hope the discussion will be a successful first step in establishing a network for students of law across Bangalore city to help coordinate, collaborate, improve upon and make efforts at increasing access to legal aid more effective. This is our first step towards working on building a sustainable and efficient collaborative network amongst committees, which we hope to soon take to a pan-Indian level.

Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ashok Golappa Nijagannavar has generously agreed to provide us guidance and advice as the Keynote Speaker for the event. Furthermore, Sri. Hanchate Sanjeevakumar, Member Secretary, KSLSA has promised to share his time, thoughts and experiences with us as the Guest of Honor at the Conference. We expect eminent members of the bar, bench and student community to be present at the event.

Venue

Allen and Overy Hall, National Law School of Indian University, Nagarbhavi – 560072, Bangalore
Date: 22.01.2019
Time: 6:00 pm

Registration Fee and Procedure
No registration fee. However, on site contribution is much appreciated.

Contact Details

For further details or clarifications,

The Legal Services Clinic: lsc@nls.ac.in, lsc.nlsiu@gmail.com

Visit our website at legalservicesclinic.org

Avinash V. Rao, Convenor: +91-9113814098

Mrinali Komandur, Joint-convenor: +91-9663385836

For more details, refer

Agenda – Legal Services Clinic

Concept Note – Legal Services Clinic

Case Briefs

The students of NLSIU as a part of the Legal Services Clinic performed LLPs at three different location which included two villages and one school on November 28, 2018.

YAMPAD

In the first village named ‘Yampad’, the students performed three short plays which revolved around domestic violence, child marriage and the right to education, as there were a majority of women and children in the audience. After the same, there was a Q&A session and the villagers spoke about the problems that they had. Primarily, it was lack of water and data verification for Aadhaar. One of the court lawyers talked to them about how if the executive was not able to provide proper water and fulfil even the most basic of the requirements, the village could file a PIL and get a court order mandating that this be done. LSC also gave its contact details to the villagers and asked them to contact the clinic if they needed help filing a PIL or even an RTI regarding the Aadhaar problem.

LSC Members and District Court Judges at Yampad

GAJARKOT

The second village, ‘Gajarkot’, had a lot of women and men, but not as many children as the previous village. This also had a significant number of senior citizens. Considering these factors, the students performed 5 plays relating to domestic violence, child marriage, right to education, rights of senior citizens and arrests of women. This seemed to be a huge hit with the senior citizens as most of them were quite surprised to learn that they had all these rights and
could approach the court for relief if they were being ill-treated by their sons or daughters.

CHICKPET

The third LLP was performed in a school in a village called ‘Chickpet’. This school primarily had children attending the LLP, so the plays performed revolved around child marriage, consumer protection, right to equality along with domestic violence and arrest of women.

School Students, Teachers and Residents of Chickpet Watching the LLP

In all three villages, most of the residents were able to point out the problems, but none of them knew the legal solutions to it. This was where the explanations made a huge difference and helped to spread legal awareness. The plays and the explanations were carried out in Kannada for easier comprehension and relatability. The plays performed in all the places were accompanied by talks given by the judge, the court officers and the lawyers. They spoke about how changes can be brought about in those villages legally and also enquired about their problems in general to see if the courts there could be of some help to these villagers.

LSC Members at the Yadgir District Prison with an Official

CONCLUSION AND FINDINGS

The crowd at each village asked insightful questions and showed general awareness about their rights. They also asked the judges about the lack of proper infrastructure and adequate water and basic facilities which to which the judges responded with reasoned answers and promises. The Prison Visit showed that many inmates were unaware of legal aid and their eligibility to the same. Most undertrial prisoners had hired private counsel. This could be a result of either lack of awareness on legal aid or lack of facilities or general mistrust towards free counsel.
Some had been awaiting trial for almost seven years. This was reported to the judge at Yardgir District Court, who assured the students that the case was scheduled to be taken up within a month.
As regards the Shelter Home Visit, it was observed that boys were sent to the observation and shelter home at Gulbaraga, which was described to be crowded and with bad living conditions. Apprehension of children in the observation home in Bangalore of being moved to the Yadgir observation home, could, in fact, have been with reference to the home in Gulbarga and not Yadgir. In comparison with LSC’s previous visit to the observation home in Bangalore, the starkest difference is that the girls in the Yadgir observation home seemed to be happier and
more comfortable. In interactions with the children, the general sense the students got was that the children get along with each other and the staff, and seem untroubled in the shelter home. When asked, they did not express any dissatisfaction with the home’s arrangements. The CWC members at Yadgir raised issues about the paucity of sessions, the lack of infrastructure and the poor remuneration among others. Six sessions are insufficient to handle
the heavy load of cases that come to them and they request that they be allowed to conduct more sessions. At the same time, they are paid very meagrely, as their remuneration has been reduced to Rs. 1000. Lastly, the centre did not have a counsellor, the computers were not functioning and technical member is not present. Although new infrastructure has been sanctioned and orders have been placed, there is scope for improving the services provided.
However, the challenges that come from being a new district with little access as compared to a city like Bangalore make it difficult for them to function to their full capacity.

Overall, the visit was very fruitful and the students hope that they can visit another time to see if the recommendations they made for the Shelter Home and Prison have been implemented.

Conference/Seminars/LecturesLaw School News

The Student Initiative for Promotion of Legal Awareness (SIPLA) of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore hosted Mr. Shyam Saran at NLSIU for a guest lecture on January 11, 2019.

Mr. Saran was the 26th Foreign Secretary to the Government of India. He has served as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Nuclear Affairs and Climate Change, Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board, and the Chairman of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries. He is currently a member of the Governing Board of Center for Policy Research, Life Trustee of the India International Centre, a trustee of the World Wildlife Fund (India), a Member of the National Executive of FICCI, and an Independent Director at the Press Trust of India. Prior to his appointment as the Foreign Secretary he served as India’s H.E. Ambassador to Myanmar, Indonesia and Nepal and as High Commissioner to Mauritius.

In January 2011, Shyam Saran was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour, for his contributions to civil service. He writes and speaks regularly on foreign policy, climate change, energy security, and national and international security related issues.

Interacting with Mr. Saran will gave the students a unique opportunity to discover the challenges as a diplomat, being the Chairman of NSA and Foreign Secretary. It was also useful for those who hope to pursue this exciting career in future.

Call For PapersConference/Seminars/LecturesLaw School News

Call for papers for “New Directions, New Voices in Family Law in India”, a conference organised by NLSIU, Oxford University and Melbourne Law School on  5-6 July 2019, Bangalore, India.

A great deal of anticipation and anxiety surrounds family law in India in the present moment. For example, the recent Supreme Court of India decision in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1, concerning Section 377, created the hopeful possibility of wide-ranging changes in Indian family law responsive to LGBT lives. This same opinion has also instigated worries about what sort of anti-LGBT arguments will be disseminated in response to these possibilities. Similarly, the discussion surrounding the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Shayara Bano v. Union of India, (2017) 9 SCC 1, concerning triple talaq, signalled the Court’s commitment to enforcing constitutional guarantees about equal citizenship for women, while also suggesting that society-at-large remains uncomfortable with divorce in general.
The conference “New Directions, New Voices in Family Law in India” aims to explore emerging dimensions and tensions in discussions surrounding family law in India. While there is a great deal of continuity between historic and contemporary issues in family law in India, one significant goal of this conference is to explore and discuss newer family law developments, as well as neglected aspects of older (and continuing) family law issues. Another important goal of this conference is to encourage newer voices in the family law discussion—voices who can bring to the forefront neglected issues in and perspectives on family law issues in India, whether contemporary or historical.
For more information on the same, kindly click on this link.
Call For PapersLaw School News

The Chair on Consumer Law and Practice is dedicated to provide a forum for engaging in discussions on varied issues of National and International issues on Consumer Protection Laws and henceforth, publishes an annual peer reviewed journal under its banner.

Contributions have been invited for International Journal on Consumer Law and Practice (Volume 7)  from academicians, practitioners, students of law and allied fields in the form of Article, Research Paper, Essay, Note, Case Comment, Legislative Briefs and Book Review.

Submission deadline for this edition is March 31, 2019.

For Submission Guidelines, Click HERE

For more details, click HERE
Click here to check the Subscription Page.

Submission Guidelines:

The journal welcomes contributions from academicians, practitioners, students of law and allied fields.

Theme: Consumer Protection Laws

Sub Themes:

  • International Consumer Protection Framework & Policy
  • Empowering Consumers
  • Consumer Welfare Legislations
  • New Age Contemporary Issues & Challenges
  • Enforcement of Regulatory Authorities
  • Consumers in Digital Era.
  • Consumer Protection and Mediation.

IJCLP solicits submissions for its Volume VII to be launched in 2019. Authors can make submissions under the following heads:

  • Articles and Research Papers (6,000-8,000 words inclusive of foot notes)
  • Essay(3,000-4,000 words inclusive of foot notes)
  • A Note (2,500 words inclusive of foot notes).
  • A Case Comment, Legislative Briefs (2,500-3,000 words inclusive of foot notes)
  • A Book Review ( 2,000 words inclusive of foot notes)

Send the manuscripts on consumerlaw@nls.ac.in (MS word format) with the subject as “Submissions for IJCLP 2019” along with covering letter on or before 31st March 2019.

Law School NewsOthers

National Law School of India University, Bangalore is organising a course on ‘Board Dynamics’ on December 14 – 15, 2018. The course will primarily be focusing on the application of corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, and corporate social responsibility practices in the functioning of an effective board.
Interested participants could register in the manner as provided in their official notification on the National Law School website or by clicking HERE .
Law School NewsMoot Court Announcements

The United Nations Development Programme and National Law School of India University, Bangalore announce the 2019 UNDP-GEF-NLSIU-CEERA Moot Court Competition on Biological Diversity Law.

The Moot Court Competition is open to all students enrolled in a full time undergraduate/ postgraduate law course provided by a recognized College/Institution/University in India or abroad. There shall be a preliminary screening based on the memorials submitted by the Participating Teams, and only such teams selected under Clause 5 of these Rules shall be allowed to advance and participate in the Oral Rounds.
For more information on important dates, the problem, rules and registration, click HERE
AchievementsLaw School News

The NLSIU team consisting of Unnati Ghia, Smriti Kalra and Madhavi Singh reached the Finals of the WTO ELSA Moot Court Competition, held in Geneva, Switzerland. This is the first time NLSIU has reached the finals in the past 16 editions of the moot court competition.

Smriti Kalra was also awarded the Best Oralist of the Grand Finals. The World Rounds are hosted at the World Trade Organization, Geneva and the judges included the Chairman of the Appellate Body along with its former members and distinguished academicians and practitioners.
The team also won the Finals of the Asia Pacific Rounds held in Bangkok in April 2018. They also bagged the Best Written Submissions Overall, Complainant and Respondent. Unnati Ghia was also awarded the Best Speaker of the Semi-Finals and Finals in Bangkok.
AchievementsLaw School News

NLSIU kicks off its mooting season with some great news. The team comprising Saarthak Jain, Smriti Kalra and Harsh Srivastava won the South Asia Regional Rounds of Foreign Direct Investment International Arbitration Moot Court Competition, 2018. Also, Smriti Kalra won the Best Speaker in the Finals.

About Foreign Direct Investment International Arbitration Moot: Increasing international investment, the proliferation of international investment treaties, domestic legislation, and international investment contracts have contributed to the development of a new field of international law that defines obligations between host States and foreign investors and refers to internationalised procedures (e.g. ICSID) for resolving related disputes. These disputes involve not only vast sums, but also a panoply of rights, duties, and shifting objectives at the juncture of national and international law and policy. The FDI Moot helps future lawyers attain a practical understanding of these issues. The case and hearings offer a unique forum for academics and practitioners from around the world to discuss developments – and assess emerging talents. The FDI Moot spans approximately six months each year in two phases, written memorials for claimant and respondent and the hearing of oral argument with regional rounds for Asia Pacific (Seoul), South Asia (New Delhi), and Africa (Nairobi), and pre moots in Budapest, St Petersburg, Sao Paulo and Warsaw.

 

AchievementsLaw School News

In what seems to be turning into a great year for NLSIU, Bangalore at ADR tournaments, the team consisting of Nikita Garg, Kshitij Sharma, Saarthak Jain, and Aman Vasavada have won the IBA-VIAC CDRC VIENNA Mediation and Negotiation Competition 2018. With this, NLSIU becomes the only team to have won this competition twice, making it an even bigger feat!

 

Conference/Seminars/LecturesLaw School News

On May 2014, Professor G. N. Saibaba, an English Lecturer at Ramlal Anand College, Delhi University, was arrested for his alleged association with Maoist groups. His arrest is considered very strange as he was “abducted” by the police on his way home. Dr. Saibaba is 90% disabled, and the forceful nature of his arrest was unwarranted. Last year, G. N. Saibaba was given a life sentence by a court for his links with the Maoists. The court has also found Hem Mishra and four others guilty of waging war against the country and supporting the ideology of the banned organisation, CPI (Maoist).

Dr. Saibaba’s health has deteriorated leaving his life in peril. Given his disability, he is in need of constant care and medical attention. However, he has been denied the much needed support. He is fed food that can barely sustain a patient who requires the medication he needs to survive. The few medicines and supplements that he has been allowed to have was rejected for the third time in March 2015 despite his falling health. Dr. Saibaba went on a six day hunger strike, fell unconscious and was subsequently hospitalized. It is suggested that it was his campaigning against the state sponsored Operation Green Hunt that made him a target.

With this backdrop, the Law and Society Committee organised a panel discussion on July 26, 2018 on the rights of prisoners focusing on the rights of the disabled and the politics of arrest. The discussion was attended by members of the legal defence team which is working to secure his release, including Prof. Haragopal, Hany Babu, Cecelia Davies as well as his spouse, Vasantha Kumari. The event saw participation from many students, faculty members of the college and externals.

Law School NewsOthers

The Student Initiative for Promotion for Legal Awareness (SIPLA) of National Law School of India University, Bangalore conducted a lecture by Shri Feroze Varun Gandhi, Member of Parliament and Member, Standing Committee on External Affairs on the 19th of July, 2018 at 11:00 AM in the Examination Hall. The lecture was on “The Road to Justice: Opportunities & Impediments.” Attendance was mandatory for students in the IV and V Year, LLM Batches, and MPP Batches. Shri Gandhi talked about many controversial issues on politics, educational policies, equality, etc., and a piece on it was covered by the The Times of India. The piece can be found by clicking on this link.

AchievementsLaw School News

The team from National Law School of India University, Bangalore made it to the finals of world rounds of the 59th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018, held at Washington DC. NLSIU has previously won Jessup twice, in 1996 and in 2013. India along with Australia reached the finals of the Mooting World Cup.

The team comprising of Isha Jain, Nikita Garg, Bhavesh Seth and Saarthak Jain, gave a tremendous fight to Australia. Isha Jain received the Best Oralist award.

Over 500 teams from 95 countries participated in the world rounds held at Washington DC. The more that is said about this achievement is less. There were four Indian teams in top 32 in the world rounds. Indian teams have always done exceptionally well not just at this particular competition, regularly breaking in the top 32, but generally at all moots at the world stage, winning several of them between them, every year.

AchievementsLaw School News

Following is the list of Mooting Achievements by the National Law School of India University, Bangalore in the present academic year so far:

1) At the 15th Willem C. Vis East Moot Court Competition, the team comprising Tanvee Kanaujia, Suyash Ojha and Harsh Srivastava reached the Round of 16. The team got an Honourable Mention for Best Claimant Memorandum, with Tanvee also getting an Honourable Mention for Best Speaker.

2) The team comprising Apurv Jain, Harjas Singh, and Vansh Aggarwal won the NLU-J Anti Trust Moot Court Competition. Apurv was also the Best Speaker in the Finals.

3) Building upon their performance in the National Rounds, the team, comprising of Sagarika Parab, Spoorthi Cotha and Mrinali Komandur reached the Quarter Finals at the World Rounds of the 11th Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court Competition.

4) The team, comprising Mallika Sen, Satvik Khatri and Prannv Dhawan reached the semi-finals of the RMLNLU SCC Online International Media Law Moot. The team also broke third on the tabs.

5) The duo of Ambarin Khambati and Bhargav Chakraborty managed to break second at the NUJS-HSF Moot 2018 and reach the quarterfinals.

6) The team consisting of Saurabh Gupta, Aman Sadiwala and Vishu Surana won the Third NLIU – Justice R.K. Tankha Memorial International Moot Court Competition, held at NLIU Bhopal. The team also bagged the award for the Best Memorial for both Claimant and Respondent.

7) The team comprising Shreya Jaipuria, Stuti Rai and Binit Agarwala reached the Semi Finals of the ManLachs ISRO Funding Rounds 2018, with Shreya being adjudged as the Best Speaker of the tournament.