Aim
The Council for International Relations and International Law (CIRIL) is a student-run committee at NLSIU. The committee aims to foster a space for dialogue and debate among law school students on international law topics capturing the zeitgeist of the society.
To this end, CIRIL organises various collaborative events such as competitions, lectures by eminent academicians and practitioners, seminars, study circles, quizzes etc. Through such events, students get the platform to learn and further contribute to the growing global discourse on topics of international law, relations, and foreign policy.
Our Work
CIRIL co-hosted the NLSIU Global South Conference, 2017, which saw eminent personalities including Mr Jairam Ramesh, former Minister of State for Environment and Forests, and Mr Siddharth Mallavarapu, Professor at the Department of International Relations and Governance Studies at Shiv Nadar University, discuss theories of international relations from the perspective of the oft-ignored Global South.
The inaugural CIRIL-IPCS Symposium, titled “India & South Asia: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges”, in August 2018 saw examination of India’s geopolitical interests in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region from an interdisciplinary angle to contribute to the discussion on the crucial intersection between international relations and international law.
CIRIL has previously and continues to organise career talks featuring NLS alumni currently serving in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), providing students with valuable insights into diplomatic careers and highlighting the crucial role of legal expertise in international relations. Additionally, CIRIL has hosted events focused on International Trade Law and relations, exploring how trade is regulated between nations through organisations such as the WTO.
Among its internal initiatives, CIRIL has collaborated with the Literary and Debating Society (LnD) to conduct quizzes on international law and its representation in popular culture. The committee also partnered with the Event Management Committee (EMC) to host a mixer event, fostering interaction between NLS students and exchange students on campus. Furthermore, CIRIL has organized reading circles on international law, where participants discussed influential works like the Melian Dialogue—a 2,800-year-old text that continues to inform contemporary debates on power dynamics, justice, and the enforceability of international law.
Selection Process
As per the committee Membership Guidelines (AY 2025-26), CIRIL is an open committee where all students are eligible to join CIRIL by attending three consecutive meetings. Membership is subject to a 75% attendance requirement for formal recognition.
Committee Heads & Members
Co-Convener:
Mayank Yadav
Mayank is a third-year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) student at NLSIU, co-convening CIRIL while pretending to have his life together between increasing global crises and committee meetings. He is driven by a keen interest in international law and global affairs.
Co-Convenor:
Pragya Chauhan
Pragya is a penultimate-year LLB (Hons.) candidate at NLSIU, with an academic background in Political Science.
Members:
Priyam Mitra (Co-head, Editorial and Research)
Sanskriti Kaushik (Co-head, Editorial and Research)
Chehak (Co-head, Design)
Yashwin S (Co-head, Design)
Manas Nigam (Co-head, Sponsorship)
Annhad Ahluwalia (Co-head, Sponsorship)
Daksh Jain (Head, Finance)
Ritik Kumar (Head, Public Relations)
Aditya Maheshwari
Ashish Gautam
Ashutosh Kar
Ashutosh Meena
Galaxy Tyagi
Khushi Rajput
Luth Sanal
Mihir Singh
Nishant Kumar
Sachidananda
Sampoorno Mukherjee
Shauryaveer Chaudhry
Shamya J Bennehalli
Shreyas Yadav
Vaibhavi Bendigiri
Vedika Singh Chouhan