At this week’s faculty seminar, Dr. Vijayamba R, Assistant Professor of Social Science, NLSIU will present a paper titled, ‘Women’s Time Use between Paid and Unpaid Work in India,’ that she has co-authored with Rosa Abraham and Srinivas Raghavendra from Azim Premji University.
Abstract
Women engage in a predominant share of unpaid work leaving less time for employment and leisure. This paper asks if engagement in employment results in an offsetting reduction on unpaid work across different levels of education and types of employment. We use the Time Use Survey of India (TUS 2019) to identify self-employment and wage employment from the International Classification of Activities for Time Use Statistics (ICATUS 2016). We find that for women engaged in self-employment, there is a slight trade off with unpaid work, whereas urban graduate women face an increased burden of unpaid work.
NLSIU is organising a Guest Lecture on ‘Deconstructing Public Opinion Surveys on the Death Penalty,’ by Prof. Wing-Cheong Chan, Professor of Law, Singapore Management University (SMU) at the NLS campus. The lecture will be delivered on Thursday, November 13 in Room 201, New Academic Block (NAB) at 5 pm.
About the Speaker
Wing Cheong is Professor of Law at SMU. He completed his undergraduate studies in Law from Oxford University, England and his Master’s degree from Cornell University, USA. He is an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore, a barrister of Gray’s Inn (England & Wales), and a qualified attorney of New York State (USA).
His academic career started with the Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1993. His areas of specialisation include Criminal Law, Family Law, Child Law and Elder Law. He is the co-author of ‘Criminal Law in Singapore’ which is used by law students and practitioners, and it has been cited numerous times by the courts of both Malaysia and Singapore. His recent projects include an examination of the death penalty in Singapore, and the criminal laws of regional countries (Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India, Laos, Bhutan and Bangladesh). Two of his works have been translated into other languages: ‘Family Law in Singapore’ (Japanese) and ‘Criminal Law in Myanmar’ (Burmese).
The Conference wraps up the third iteration of the WUI Fellowship, which began earlier this year. The 21 participating fellows will present the research papers they have developed over the course of the fellowship. The sessions will be held between 9:30 am to 5 pm at the Ground Floor Conference HAll , Training Centre, NLSIU and Fairfield by Marriott, Rajajinagar.
Over the course of the event, fellows will present their work and engage in in-depth discussion with mentors and peers. Each paper will receive detailed feedback to further strengthen scholarly contribution.
Members of the WUI Collective, who have mentored the fellows through the 10-month writing fellowship, will attend the conference.
Distinguished scholars participating in the conference include Gopa Samanta (University of Burdwan), Gautam Bhan (Indian Institute for Human Settlements), J. Devika (Centre for Development Studies), Mukta Naik (National Institute of Urban Affairs), Marie–Hélène Zérah (French National Institute of Research for Development – IRD), Neha Sami (Indian Institute for Human Settlements), Rohit Negi (Indian Institute of Management Calcutta), Partha Mukhopadhyay (Centre for Policy Research), and Shivani Kapoor (Centre for the Study of Developing Societies).
The conference will be anchored by Sushmita Pati and Anwesha Ghosh from the National Law School of India University.
We were delighted to host Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor (CEA), Govt of India, at the NLSIU campus on November 6, 2025, where he delivered a special lecture on the topic ‘Judicial Decision-Making for Viksit Bharat 2047’.
The session was organised for the first-year Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) and 3-Year LLB cohorts and was also open to the wider NLS community.
Abstract
The world economy is changing, and India has a narrow window of opportunity to grow fast and take its place within it as a major global player, which would also provide a high standard of living to its citizens. In this session, Dr. Anantha covered why the legal system must play an essential role in this process, where the lacunae exist presently especially from the perspective of economically grounded reasoning in our legal system. Specifically, Dr. Anantha covered the importance of trade-offs, opportunity costs and unintended consequences. The session also took students through the application of the lens of economic reasoning to some prominent issues.
About the Speaker
Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran is the 18th Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India. Before being appointed CEA, he was a writer, author, teacher and consultant. He wrote a weekly column in Mint on Tuesdays from 2007 until 2022. He has co-authored books on Derivatives, Global Finance and the Indian economy. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1994 for his work on exchange rate behaviour. In 1985, he received a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He worked in macroeconomic and financial markets research for international financial institutions in Switzerland and Singapore from 1994 to 2011.
Excerpts from the Lecture
Achieving Viksit Bharat 2047 in a Changing World
Dr. Anantha spoke about how global dynamics are being transformed by supply shocks, geopolitical realignments, technological breakthroughs, and demographic shifts. In an evolving landscape, he mentioned that India has a limited but critical window of opportunity to establish itself as a major global economic power. Achieving this vision demands investment-friendly and growth-oriented regulatory institutions, he said.
At the foundation of this transformation lies a predictable, economically grounded legal system—essential to building investor confidence and accelerating progress toward the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’- the Indian government’s vision to transform India into a developed nation by the 100th anniversary of its independence in 2047.
Stating that there is enormous responsibility on policy makers, Dr. Anantha highlighted that two key qualities that are required in policy makers, lawyers and judges today are open-mindedness and humility, in the sense of being open to emperical evidence and apply post-corrective measures as may be required.
He also spoke about the concept of asymmetries and non linearities in Economics, Life, and Public Policy – highlighting how certain actions, while offering no guarantee of success, have clear asymmetrical risks. He elaborated this point with several examples during the lecture.
Economic resilience and strength
He spoke about how economic strength comes from a legal system that understands and considers economic consequences; that comes from people’s freedom to start, trade, invest, and compete under predictable rules. He also touched upon how strong legal institutions can help ensure fair processes to secure property, speedy contract enforcement, and dispute resolution; and thus a high-performing, economically informed legal framework builds trust and strong incentives for both human and physical capital formation.
No such thing as a free lunch – trade offs
“Sound economic thinking requires recognising trade-offs, opportunity costs, and unintended consequences in every decision. Every choice involves a trade-off, because nothing is truly free—there’s always a cost in time, money, effort, or opportunity,” he said, sharing examples of personal trade-offs, and legal and policy trade-offs.
One of the most important and unseen costs is the next best opportunity
He elaborated further on how every choice may involve giving up the next best alternative, which represents a real but often unseen opportunity cost. “People make decisions after considering the best options available to them but the next best alternative that you gave up is also a cost. For example, what will factory owners do if you make it very expensive to employ labourers? Is their next best alternative always to increase wages?,” he questioned, indicating that when one option becomes unviable, people may shift to their next best alternative, not necessarily the one policymakers prefer.
The road to <unintended consequences> is paved with good intentions that don’t consider trade offs
Dr. Anantha spoke how well-intended policies can backfire when they ignore trade-offs, opportunity costs, and incentives. And thus ignoring economic incentives and trade-offs can also turn good intentions into barriers to growth and inclusion.
Taking the example of The Industrial Disputes Act which requires government permission for factories with over 100 workers to dismiss employees, he explained the intentions, trade offs and the consequences that could arise.
Interactions on Campus
After concluding his talk, Dr. Anantha interacted with members of the University including – NLSIU Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Registrar In-Charge, Prof. (Dr.) N S Nigam, MPP Chair Dr. Srikrishna Ayyangar, MPP faculty Dr. Sneha Thapliyal, Dean-Academics & Associate Professor of Law Dr. Saurabh Chatterjee, and Director – Communications & External Relations, Ms. Deepti Soni.
The Centre for Women and the Law (CWL), NLSIU, in collaboration with Freie Universität Berlin (FUB) and ERC Research Group, is organising a panel discussion on ‘Changing Rights of Parents and Children: Comparative Perspectives on Family Law Reform from India and Europe’ on December 8, 2025, at the Ground Floor Conference Hall, Training Centre, NLSIU.
Abstract
The panel explores the transformation of family law within a new Indo-German co-operation. It establishes comparative conversations on family law reform within case law, legal pluralism, and the European civil code tradition. Moreover, it opens an interdisciplinary dialogue between social historians, legal scholars and jurists. Family law reform has often been studied in the context of marriage and divorce, property and inheritance. While these remain crucial issues for the regulation of the family, for family courts, and diverse families, the panel foregrounds emerging research on child custody, contestations over parents’ rights, and the status and interpretation of the best interest of the child.
Panellists
Dr. Jana Tschurenev, Principal Investigator, ERC Consolidator Grant “Democratising the Family? Gender equality, parental rights, and child welfare after 1945” (DEMFAM) project, FUB
The NLS Chapter of SPIC MACAY is organising a Carnatic Vocal Music Concert on November 9, 2025, at the NLSIU campus. The performance will feature Vidwan Abhishek Raghuram on Vocal, Vidwan Arjun Kumar on Mridangam and Vidwan Keshav Mohankumar on Violin.
About the Musicians
Vidwan Abhishek is a Carnatic classical vocalist. He is an is an “A” grade artiste of All India Radio (AIR) and has performed with eminent musicians such as T. K. Murthy, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, Karaikudi Mani, Trichy Sankaran, G. Harishankar and Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam to name a few. He has won several prizes in competitions conducted by the Madras Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha, Mylapore Fine Arts Club, Tyaga Brahma Gana Sabha to name a few.
Vidwan Arjun was born into a family of mridangam artists and upholds their renowned style on the instrument today. He trained under his father Sri Arjunan as well as TAS Mani and Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman and became one of AIR’s youngest top-graded artists.
Vidwan Keshav is a disciple of renowned Carnatic Violin Guru Vidwan H. K. Narasimhamurthy. He is an ‘A grade’ violinist from AIR and Doordarshan. He has performed with renowned Carnatic musicians across the country and beyond. He has also been identified as a music composer.
Registration
Non-NLSIU members are requested to RSVP on this form.
About SPIC MACAY
The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth or ‘SPIC MACAY’ is a voluntary youth movement which aims to preserve intangible aspects of Indian cultural heritage by promoting Indian classical music, classical dance, folk music, yoga, meditation, crafts and other aspects of Indian culture. It is a movement with chapters in over 300 towns all over the world. SPIC MACAY was established by Dr. Kiran Seth in 1977 at IIT Delhi.
The National Law School of India University, Bengaluru and Ikigai Law, a law and public policy firm, are co-hosting an event on ‘Truth, Trust & Technology: A Policy Dialogue on Online Speech Regulation,’ on November 7, 2025.
The event is being held from 5 pm to 7 pm in Central Bengaluru. High tea is at 4:30 pm.
About the Policy Dialogue
Recently, copies of draft ‘Misinformation and Hate Speech Bills (Bills)’ attributed to the Karnataka Government have sparked critical conversations on how to best address online harms while upholding constitutional freedoms. With the Government of Karnataka planning consultations, this dialogue provides a timely opportunity for voices to deliberate on how Karnataka can shape balanced, practical, and constitutionally sound approaches to regulating misinformation and hate speech, while safeguarding fundamental freedoms.
This dialogue will offer a front-row view into the debates shaping India’s approach to online speech.
Format and Themes
The event will convene diverse groups of participants ranging from lawyers, journalists, policy professionals, academia, and industry, shaping India’s tech policy landscape.
The event will open with a keynote address and Q&A featuring Shri. Priyank Kharge, Minister for Electronics, IT/BT and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Government of Karnataka. This will be followed by two panel discussions:
1. Panel 1 – Regulating speech in Karnataka: A constitutional tug of war
This will examine the constitutional principles and legal limits on speech regulation at the state level and its interplay with existing national laws.
2. Panel 2 – Tackling misinformation in practice: risks, responsibilities and alternatives
This will unpack practical challenges of addressing misinformation and hate speech online and explore non-legislative solutions that governments can adopt.
The JSW Centre for the Future of Law at NLSIU continues its online presentation series on contemporary scholarship by leading academics, with Dr. Liz Fisher, Professor of Environmental Law at the Faculty of Law and Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford on October 27, 2025. The talk is part of a series of presentations by the Centre on contemporary scholarship by leading academics.
About the Talk
Prof. Fisher will be discussing her ongoing research on the relationship between legal expertise and environmental regulation, covering her working paper titled “Imagining the World: Environmental Problems and Legal Expertise.”
Abstract
Environmental law is often understood as a legally anomalous subject that doesn’t demand much in the way of conventional legal thought and doesn’t fit into the way law is normally classified. This presumption about the lack of fit of environmental law has resulted in a failure to recognise the legal work and legal expertise the subject involves. In this paper, building on a three year project that involves archive work in Australia, the US, and the UK, I show the type of structural legal questions environmental law gives rise to, the dangers of wishful thinking, and the law jobs (and legal expertise) the subject requires.
About the Speaker
Dr. Liz Fisher is a Professor of Environmental Law in the Faculty of Law, Oxford and has written widely on environmental law and administrative law in national common law jurisdictions. A Leverhulme Major Research Fellow from 2022-25, she is a non-executive board member of the Office for Environmental Protection, Delegate of OUP, and an Overseas Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.
Prof. Fisher’s work looks at the nature of legal expertise required in environmental law and administrative law in common law legal systems, by studying doctrine, legislation, legal culture and socio-political culture. Prof. Fisher’s research explores the mental constructs lawyers and legal scholars use to legally reason, particularly in relation to public administration and environmental problems. Her work is grounded in national common law jurisdictions.
NLSIU is hosting a Live Information Session for prospective candidates of the NLS BA (Hons) Programme. This online session will offer insights into the University, the structure of the programme, and details of the application process.
The NLS BA (Hons) is a 3-year programme with the option of an additional 4th year! The NLS BA (Hons) is uniquely designed to include, Common Core Foundational Courses, Majors and Minors, Open Electives, Languages, Practice Courses and Internships.
Every student in the NLS BA (Hons.) programme will have the option of electing a major-minor combination, or a double major in: 1) History, 2) Sociology & Anthropology, 3) Economics, and 4) Politics.
Admission will be on the basis of an all-India National Law School Admission Test (NLSAT-BA).
On October 24, 2025, alumni of the PGD in Cyber Law & Cyber Forensics (PGDCLCF) from NLSIU, convened for the inaugural Cyber Vidhi Sangam – CLCF Concave 2025. This working forum was designed to address one of the most pressing questions of our time: ‘How do law and technology evolve together to manage the risks of a digital-first world?’ We explore not just how to respond to cybercrime and privacy threats, but how to create a digital future that is innovative, fair, and secure.
Why this forum came together?
Cybercrime is no longer confined to the realm of financial fraud or data breaches — it has become a force that undermines the very foundations of trust in our digital lives. At the same time, privacy, once taken for granted, is steadily eroding, leaving individuals, businesses, and governments grappling with questions of control and accountability. While regulation continues to play a vital role, it is clear that legal frameworks alone cannot keep pace with the speed and unpredictability of technological disruption. The real challenge lies in rebuilding trust; trust in systems, in institutions, and in the very idea that technology can serve society without compromising its values. This is where Cyber Vidhi Sangam – CLCF Conclave 2025 steps in: a forum where voices from law, technology, policy, and industry come together to examine these urgent questions, anticipate the challenges ahead, and shape the frameworks of tomorrow.
Schedule
Keynote by Dr. Nigam Nuggehalli, Registrar In-Charge & Professor of Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
Panel Discussion on ‘Privacy as Leverage – Building Trust, Loyalty, and Market Edge’
Panel Discussion on ‘Cyberlogue: AI vs AI – The Future Between Cyber Defenders and Cyber Criminals’
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The NLS Chapter of SPIC MACAY is organising a Carnatic Vocal Music Concert on November 9, 2025, at the NLSIU campus. The performance will feature Vidwan Abhishek Raghuram on Vocal, Vidwan Arjun Kumar on Mridangam and Vidwan Keshav Mohankumar on Violin.
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