The Centre for Comparative Constitutional Law and Administrative Law, in collaboration with the Constitutional Law Society at National Law University Jodhpur, recently concluded the Third Edition of the National Seminar on Constitutionalism in Contemporary Times on September 7, 2024. Initiated in 2022 by Assistant Professor Sayantani Bagchi, along with a dedicated team of faculty and students, this seminar has provided a dynamic platform for constitutional law scholars in India to engage in meaningful discussions and debates on various aspects of constitutional law. The first two editions featured distinguished speakers such as Hon’ble Justice J.B. Pardiwala (Judge, Supreme Court of India), Dr. S.Y. Quraishi (17th Chief Election Commissioner of India), and renowned academics like Prof. Neera Chandhoke, Dr. Samir Das, Dr. M.R. Madhavan, Dr. Udit Bhatia, Dr. Siddharth Chauhan, Dr. Dipika Jain, Dr. Shameek Sen, Dr. Namita Wahi, Mr. Arvind Narrain, Prof. Rangin Tripathy, Prof. Yogesh Pratap Singh, Dr. Raeesa Vakil, Mr. Agnidipto Tarafder, and Dr. Aradhya Sethia. These earlier editions were conducted virtually. The standard format of the seminar includes an inaugural lecture, paper presentations from scholars across India, and a panel discussion on contemporary constitutional issues.
This year, the event was held on campus at NLU Jodhpur. The Inaugural Session was graced Hon’ble Justice S. Ravindra Bhat (Former Judge, Supreme Court of India), the Chief Guest for the Seminar, Prof. Harpreet Kaur (Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, NLU Jodhpur), Prof. I.P. Massey (Distinguished Professor, NLU Jodhpur), and several esteemed panellists, including Prof. Seema Kazi, Prof. Max Steuer, Dr. Niranjan Sahoo, Dr. Shivaraj Huchhanavar, Dr. Shameek Sen, and Dr. Nizamuddin Siddique, the esteemed members of the Faculty and the participants. Assistant Professor Bagchi welcomed the gathering, and Prof. Kaur, in her eloquent welcome address, outlined the journey of the seminar while addressing key issues pertinent to the seminar’s theme. Justice Bhat delivered the Inaugural Address, focusing on the contemporary challenges to democracy and federalism in India, while Prof. I.P. Massey concluded the session with his remarks on related constitutional concerns. This was followed by paper presentations from around 30 teams, divided into four thematic areas: Governance, Minority Rights, Constitutional Rights, and Technology.
Post-lunch, the Panel Discussion, moderated by Assistant Professor Bagchi, saw an in-depth conversation on the theme Constitutionalism in the Digital Era. The panelists, including Prof. Seema Kazi, Prof. Max Steuer, Dr. Niranjan Sahoo, Dr. Shivaraj Huchhanavar, Dr. Shameek Sen, and Dr. Nizamuddin Siddique, engaged in a lively exchange of ideas on the subject.
The seminar concluded with a Vote of Thanks delivered by Student Convenor, Ms. Srividya M.S., followed by the announcement of results. The first prize was awarded to Parvathy K. Arun and Daisy Verghese for their paper titled “To Consociate or Not: Understanding the Paradox of Elite Dominance and Constitutionalism.” There was a tie for second place between Ms. Gargi Bindal for her paper “A Case of Temporary Disqualification of People's Representatives: An Analysis of Section 8B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951” and Mansi Tiwari for her paper “Tribal Communities and the Indian Constitution: Socio-Economic Rights of Tribes and the Challenges of Climate Change.” The third prize was awarded to co-authors Atharva Dwivedi and Archisa Ratn for their paper “Decriminalizing Indian Politics: Synchronizing Democratic Probity and Fairness in India’s Electoral Setup.”
The seminar’s success was driven by the efforts of the student organizing team, led by Convenors Ms. Himanshi Yadav (Centre for Comparative Constitutional Law and Administrative Law), Ms. Khushi Prajapati, and Ms. Srividya M.S. (Constitutional Law Society). Other members who contributed significantly included Sinchan Chatterjee, Krishangee Parikh, Tasneem Fatma, Sonsie Khatri, Aabhas Chaturvedi, Vaishnavi Suresh, Kovida Bhardwaj, Mudit Pandey, Mohak Dua, Manugonda Soumya, Adithya Talreja, Anand Shankar, Prabhav Chaturvedi, Suhana Gandhi, Amita Kaka, Tanya Garg, Manishka Baweja, Mayank Sinha, Aadisha Dhaliwal, Bhagyashree Tiwari, Hitanshi Jain, Gurmehar Singh, Paavani Kalra, Aarushi Gupta, Dhruv Singhal, and Aashirya Malik.
