NLS Faculty Seminar | Presentations by Aishwarya Birla and Dr. Aniket Nandan

At this trimester’s last seminar, we have presentations by two NLS faculty  – Aishwarya Birla, Assistant Professor of Law and Dr. Aniket Nandan, Assistant Professor, Sociology. The seminar will be held on May 21, 2025, in the Ground Floor Conference Hall at NLSIU’s Training Centre at 2:15 pm.

Presentation 1

Case Note: ‘Statelessness as an Academic Concern: The Indian Supreme Court’s Engagement with Citizenship Policy in In re: Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955′ by Aishwarya Birla

Abstract

In October 2024, the Supreme Court of India made a significant ruling regarding citizenship laws in Assam, a state in the North-East of the country. The case centred on Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which pertains to granting citizenship to immigrants who entered Assam before a specific date. The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of this section in a 4-1 majority, ruling that the provision did not violate various provisions of the Constitution. In doing so, the court also engaged with a multitude of important issues for constitutional law and citizenship in the country, canvassing the capacity of the parliament to legislate on citizenship, the discussion of constitutional values of fraternity, equality, and the right to culture, and lastly, but importantly, the role of the court in engaging with matters of citizenship policy.

Presentation 2

Title: ‘Caste, Resources, and Political Economy: Influence of Caste Associations in Post Liberalization Bihar’ by Dr. Aniket Nandan

Abstract

This study critically examines the mechanisms and influence of associational structures of caste on the popular political economy of Bihar as they display intriguing interaction with market and politics in post liberalization India. Significant socio- anthropological literature on associational structures of caste have tended to emphasise on its role as a socio-political organization. Subsequently, functions of caste associations were observed to be (re)shaped by several forms of cultural and political assertive mechanisms. However, in contemporary context, effects of associational structures of caste are found to be pervasive in everyday economic relations and the business economy. In the post-liberalization era, caste associations, that continually influenced everyday economic relations and politics, have often constructed resources in the form of a network of opportunity hoarding and gatekeeping of professions. Therefore, for this study, imagination of associational structures of caste is revisited, beyond its religious ideology, political competition, and its prevalence in agrarian order. This study views caste associations not only as a mechanism of socio-political assertion and cultural guardian but also as a strategic dialogist for claim making over economic opportunities and advantageous professions.

The study is based on fieldwork during May 2018- Jan 2020 with regards to understanding functions and new forms of engagements of caste association of Bhumihars in Patna region of Bihar. Nonetheless, it gains immense insights from ethnographic data collected intermittently. Therefore, in its attempt to foreground corelation between caste associations and market relations and political influence the study revisits the concept of dominant caste and contests a few traditional understandings about the tenacity of caste in Indian context.