The Centre for Comparative Constitutional Law and Administrative Law, in association with the Constitutional Law Society at National Law University Jodhpur, organized a two-day National Seminar (Virtual) on Constitutionalism in Contemporary Times on the 23rd and 24th of September 2023. The inaugural session featured Justice J.B Pardiwala, a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, who delivered an inaugural address on the relevance of Constitutionalism in contemporary times. He emphasized the importance of tracing our roots and upholding constitutional values amidst formidable challenges. The event took place in the presence of The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Harpreet Kaur, Hon’ble Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya, Former Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, Dean, Professor IP Massey, esteemed guests, participants, faculty members, and students at NLU Jodhpur. Following this, parallel paper presentation sessions were held where participants presented their paper before erudite scholars in the field of constitutional law. This was followed by a rigorous brainstorming panel discussion. The following guests were a part of the sessions - Prof. Dipika Jain (Professor of Law, Jindal Global Law School), Mr. Yogesh Pratap Singh (Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, NLU Tripura), Prof. Rangeen Tripathy (Registrar, NLU Odisha), Prof. Sanjit Chakrabarty (Associate Professor, WBNUJS), Dr. Raeesa Wakil (NUS Singapore), and Mr. Arvind Narrain (Founder, Alternative Law Forum). The discussion encompassed various aspects of constitutional rights, fundamental freedoms, and transformative constitutionalism.
The second day began with paper presentations in parallel sessions, followed by a panel discussion with Prof. Neera Chandhoke (Visiting Professor, JNU), Dr. Shameek Sen (Associate Professor, WBNUJS), Agnidipto Tarafder (Jindal Global Law School), and Aradhya Sethia (PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge). The speakers engaged in debates and deliberations on various dimensions of constitutional politics in contemporary India. The event concluded with the Valedictory Address by Dr. SY Quraishi (17th Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India), who discussed the functioning of the electoral machinery and the challenges it faces. Prof. Massey offered concluding remarks on the seminar's theme. The event was convened, moderated, and concluded by Sayantani Bagchi, Assistant Professor and Faculty Advisor to the Centre and the Society.
