Inaugural Memorial Lecture under the aegis of Late Shri K. L. Arora Chair in Criminal Law

The Inaugural Memorial Lecture under the aegis of Shri Late K.L Arora Chair in Criminal Law was organised at India International Centre on 15th December 2014. The Memorial Lecture was delivered by Hon’ble Mr. Justice T.S Thakur, Judge, Supreme Court of India. Chief Guest for the Memorial Lecture was Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon’ble Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It was also presided over by Hon’ble Ms. Justice G. Rohini, Chief Justice, Delhi High Court & Chancellor, National Law University, Delhi.

Lecture on ‘The Concept of Sovereignty in Question’ by Judge Mohamed Bennouna, Member, International Court of Justice

Judge Mohamed Bennouna, Judge of the International Court of Justice delivered a lecture on ‘The Concept of Sovereignty in Question on 28.11.2014. Judge Dalveer Bhandari, Judge of the International Court of Justice, and Former Judge, Supreme Court of India preside over the event and also addressed the audience.     

Fifteenth Annual Bodh Raj Sawhny Memorial Oration 2014

National Law University Delhi under the auspices of Bodh Raj Sawhny Memorial Trust, organized 15th Annual Bodh Raj Sawhny Memorial Oration 2014 on Saturday, 15 November 2014. The oration was delivered by Hon’ble Minister Mr. Justice A.K.Sikri, Judge, Supreme Court of India “Arbitration: A New Dimension of Access to Justice.” Shri Degamber Sen Sawhny, Settler and Founder Trustee, Justice Bodh Raj Sawhny Memorial Trust presided over the function. 

Lecture on ‘Enemy of the State: Criminalizing Dissent’

National Law University Delhi organized a public lecture titled ‘Enemy of the State: Criminalizing Dissent’, delivered by noted activist Arun Ferreira at 6 pm on November 7, 2014. The lecture was held at the Alliance Francaise auditorium.

Mr. Ferreira has powerfully recounted his prison experience in his book, ‘Colours of the Cage: A Prison Memoir.’ Building on his personal experience, Mr. Ferreira’s lecture reflected on India’s violent criminal justice system in the context of naxalism and the manner in which it is used as a tool to crush dissent and demand conformity in the name of national security. 

Book Launch of “Transformative Constitutionalism: Comparing the Apex Courts of Brazil, India, and South Africa”

The Centre for Constitutional Law, Policy, and Governance, NLU Delhi organized the book launch of the South Asian Edition of “Transformative Constitutionalism: Comparing the Apex Courts of Brazil, India, and South Africa” on 30th October, 2014 in the University Auditorium. The book is published by the NLU Delhi Press in collaboration with Pretoria University Law Press.

The launch was followed by a panel discussion, with the panel consisting of:

Justice Zak Yacoob, Judge (Retd.), Constitutional Court of South Africa

Prof. Upendra Baxi, Former Vice Chancellor, Delhi University & Distinguished Professor, NLU Delhi

Prof. M. P. Singh, Former Vice Chancellor, WBNUJS, Kolkata & Visiting Professor, NLU Delhi

Prof. Ranbir Singh, Vice Chancellor, National Law University, Delhi

Dr. Mrinal Satish, Associate Professor of Law and Executive Director, Centre for Constitutional Law, Policy and Governance, NLU Delhi

Dr. Aparna Chandra, Assistant Professor of Law and Research Director, Centre for Constitutional Law, Policy and Governance, NLU Delhi

Talk on the Juvenile Justice Bill 2014 by Prof. Ved Kumari, Ms. Bharti Ali and Ms. Bharti Sharma The talk followed by an interactive session on the Juvenile Justice Bill 2014, currently being debated in Parliament, will be conducted on campus on the 1st of November, 2014, from 3-5 PM.

Noted speakers included Dr. Ved Kumari (Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi), Ms.

Bharti Ali (founder and Co-Director of HAQ) and Ms. Bharti Sharma (Former Chairperson, CWC New Delhi).

The Bill provides for transfer of 16-18 year old children alleged to have committed an offence punishable with minimum imprisonment of seven years to adult courts. It also contains a provision for treating a child who has committed a serious or heinous offence as an adult if s/he is arrested after attaining the age of 21 years. These provisions have been met with considerable criticism, as they are considered antithetical to the spirit of the juvenile justice movement. The key issues that was discussed in the talk included whether the Bill had the potential to secure better justice, both on a long-term and short-term basis, the implications that the Bill poses for women’s safety, and whether enough emphasis has been laid on the reformation and rehabilitation of children. 
 

Public Lecture by Prof. Robert Post, Dean, Yale Law School

NLU Delhi, in collaboration with the South Asian Studies Council, Yale University organized a public lecture of Prof. Robert Post, Dean Yale Law School on “Free Speech and Representative Democracy” on July 8, 2014. The lecture, organized at the India International Centre, New Delhi was attended by judges of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, prominent academics, lawyers, public intellectuals and students. Prof. Post visited NLU Delhi on July 11, and interacted with members of the faculty. 

Herbert Smith Freehills – University of Oxford International Lecture Programme 2014

National Law University, Delhi hosted the annual Herbert Smith Freehills – University of Oxford International Lecture Programme 2014 from 10-14 March, 2014.
Lectures were delivered by Prof. Timothy Endicott (Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford) and Mr. Chris Parsons (Chairman, India Practice, Herbert Smith Freehills).
Prof. Endicott's lectures related to the development of administrative law in Britain. The lecture series started out by tracing the historical development of various principles of administrative law, with special emphasis on the separation of powers between judiciary and executive. This was followed by detailed discussions on seminal English cases, including the Wednesbury Corporation case, Ridge v. Baldwin and Al Skeini and Ors. v. United Kingdom. The final lecture included a moot, with students arguing from either side on the recent 2G spectrum allocation case.
The lectures delivered by Mr. Parsons related to corporate law, acquisitions and negotiations. The first lecture provided an introduction to basic concepts relating to acquisitions, including the difference between a share sale and an asset sale and the requirements of due diligence. Following this, there was a detailed analysis of a complicated cross-border transactions.