NLSIU is hosting a Live Information Session for prospective candidates of the 3-Year LLB (Hons) on ‘Preparing for the NLSAT-LLB’ examination.The live information session will be conducted on Friday, March 7, 2025, from 6 PM to 7 PM IST.
This online session will provide information on preparing for the National Law School Admissions Test (NLSAT – LLB) and the examination pattern. Faculty will also discuss sample questions during the session.
The Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion (CSSI) at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, in collaboration with the Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram Research Institute, Department of Social Welfare, Government of Karnataka, organised an eight-day research methodology course in social science from February 5 to 12, 2025 at the NLSIU campus.
The programme was designed for PhD scholars, researchers, and think tanks from various universities in the state. The diverse group of 50 scholars were selected from across 18 universities in Karnataka, with priority to scholars from SC/ST, OBC categories and women PhD scholars.
Workshop Coordinator:
Dr. R.V. Chandrashekar,
Research Assistant,
Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion (CSSI), NLSIU
Aim of the course
Research is an integral part of the growth and expansion of social sciences. Its importance is enhanced much more in a modern, globalised society where development has attained additional dimensions. Social science research faces a challenge to thoroughly equip itself to meet the ever growing needs of the society that is transforming at a rapid pace. Often, demarcations (into rural, urban, caste, gender, etc.) are blurred by the advancement in technology and changing socio-economic scenarios. Societal problems are assuming wide-ranging complexities and under these circumstances, it becomes imperative to approach research from a preliminary and systematic understanding of the methods in social science research since the methods have also expanded enormously in their scope and application over a period of time.
Focus of the course
Research methodology, a critical component of training for any social science research programme, seldom receives the attention it deserves in most academic institutions in India. Methodologies are often conflated with methods and techniques of data analyses, with limited understanding of the epistemological frameworks or logic underlying various techniques and methods. Even among techniques, quantitative methods are over-privileged as more scientific, Social sciences are also increasingly drawing on developments in natural sciences and technology studies to enhance their explanatory domain. All of this has strengthened the scope for trans-disciplinary dialogue and research integrating perspectives and tools from varied disciplines.
Content of the course
Nature of knowledge and theory: theoretical approaches to social science research.
The art of doing research: selection of a research problem, research design, formulating hypotheses and indicators, and methods of sampling and inference.
Statistics and econometrics with hands-on experiences.
Qualitative and quantitative methods; ethnographic studies; case studies; new advances in methods of social science research.
Ethical and gender issues in social science research; Action research.
Interpreting research;
Consolidation of research findings, research report and dissemination
Exposure of statistical packages like SPSS, STATA etc.
Additionally, the course also explored the converse enumerate scientific method and its basic postulates, data analysis, basic tools in SPSS, qualities of good research, steps in conducting research, ethics of research, types of research, and research design.
Reflections from the course
The course was attended by 50 researchers from socially disadvantaged communities who gained knowledge on the importance of quality research and its benefits.
Skilled resource persons participated in the eight-day course to demonstrate research problems and how and when to use different technologies, how to conduct analyses, how to use library and internet information in research, how to write reports, and the importance of interdisciplinary studies.
The participating scholars expressed that courses like these should be conducted at all the universities in Karnataka as research would benefit from the training. The participants discussed the need for conducting such training courses for research mentors and that at least two such sessions should be organised at the state level each year.
Inauguration
The course was inaugurated on February 5, 2025, by Sri N.C. Muniyappa IAS (Retd), Former Chief Secretary, Karnataka. He shared his life experiences and the challenges he faced during his student life, motivating the participating research scholars through his own stories as a junior research fellow (JRF). He also spoke about his journey as a scientist in the agriculture department, before his work as an IAS officer in various departments in the state of Karnataka.
The presidential remarks were delivered by Prof. Babu Mathew, Director, Centre for Labour Studies at NLSIU.
Valedictory
The course ended with a valedictory ceremony on February 12, 2025. The valedictory speech was delivered by Dr. E. Venkataiah, IAS (Retd.), SCSP/TSP Nodal Agency Advisor, Department of Social Welfare, Government of Karnataka. The chief guest for the programme was Sri Rajesh G. Gowda, Director of Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram Research Institute.
The Chair on Consumer Law and Practice, NLSIU, in collaboration with online dispute resolution platformJustAct, is hosting an online webinar on ‘Mediation Landscape in India – History So Far and Way Forward’ on March 7, 2025, at 6 PM.
About the session
In an era where alternative dispute resolution is gaining momentum, understanding the mediation landscape is more critical than ever. This session will delve into the historical evolution of mediation in India and explore what lies ahead.
Speaker: Retired Justice Kannan Krishnamoorthy, High Court of Punjab & Haryana Moderator: Mr. Arnav Sharma, Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU
Join in to learn from legal experts and industry leaders.
🔗 Register here or by scanning the QR code in the image!
Welcome back! We are beginning this trimester’s faculty seminar with a guest presentation by Dr. Renuka Sane and Bhavin Patel from TrustBridge, an organization that works on rule of law and the economy. They will be presenting their paper titled ‘Balancing Power and Accountability: An Evaluation of SEBI’s Adjudication of Insider Trading’ on March 5, 2025, at the Ground Floor Conference Hall at NLSIU’s Training Centre.
Abstract
The paper evaluates the Securities Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) orders on insider trading matters over a 15-year period, and the performance of the orders in appeal before the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT). The paper develops an evaluation framework based on elements of the rule of law applicable to regulatory adjudication and finds that in a large number of orders SEBI does not follow the standards laid down in its own laws. The paper also evaluates how these orders have fared at the SAT, and finds an overall appeal rate between 30-38%.This is likely to be higher as orders appealed in more recent years will not have been completed, and hence the data on them is unavailable. Once appealed almost 60% of orders are modified – that is they are either fully or partially allowed, or the sanction amount is modified. The frequent setbacks suggest that sebi may need to rethink its approach to enforcement. Finally, the paper makes some suggestions grounded in legal theory on how SEBI could improve its order-writing process.
About the Speakers
Source: trustbridge.in
Dr. Renuka Sane is Managing Director at TrustBridge. Before joining TrustBridge, she was an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP). Her research interests are in household finance, especially on household choice in financial instruments such as credit, pensions, insurance and equity markets, as well as consumer protection in finance. She also has interests in research and policy on the criminal justice system in India.
Dr. Sane was a peer reviewer for the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) on consumer protection. She was also on the research team for the Bankruptcy Legislative Reforms Committee (BLRC) on the insolvency of individuals (2015) and the research team for the DEA Committee on Mis-selling (2015). She is also a member of the Pension Advisory Committee of the Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA). Dr. Sane has a PhD in Economics from the University of New South Wales and holds an M.A. in Economics from Mumbai University.
Bhavin Patel is Programme Director at TrustBridge Rule of Law Foundation. At TrustBridge, Bhavin manages the Regulatory Governance project, which involves a technology-assisted analysis of regulatory orders at scale.
Bhavin Patel has two decades’ experience across the legal, technology, and education industries. He successfully helped launch and scale two start-ups, and is now working on his third venture. He has worked across in-house legal departments (ITC Ltd., IDfy), and law firms (DSK Legal, Aureus Law Partners), primarily in the area of commercial legal advisory services. Bhavin has been part of the founding team of start-ups that provide services to the legal industry (LST, Rainmaker, Bayside Tech).
Bhavin specialises in privacy laws, and has a deep interest in the intersection between law and technology, and the fundamental logical principles and methods underlying both. Along with his law firm experience, he routinely advises clients on data protection issues, KYC, AML, CFT, and general corporate matters and commercial contracts. His area of expertise includes devising privacy strategies for businesses involved in the collection, processing, and storage of personal data.
Reflections from the seminar
Bhavin Patel, Programme Director, TrustBridge Rule of Law Foundation said:
“I’d like to thank the NLSIU faculty community for the opportunity to present our paper titled ‘Balancing Power and Accountability: An Evaluation of SEBIs Adjudication of Insider Trading’ at the faculty seminar. The paper evaluates the Securities Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) orders on insider trading matters over a 15-year period and the performance of the orders in appeal before the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT). We have used a combination of methods, including LLMs to create our dataset, and we hope to release our paper and dataset shortly.
The comments and feedback we received at the seminar are of immense help to us in refining our arguments and finalising the paper. We had the chance to speak with faculty across a range of subjects, from administrative law to capital markets law, and this well-rounded, wide-ranging set of observations has been of critical value to us.
We look forward to engaging more with the NLSIU community, and to bringing our future work to this forum as well.”
Dr. Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav, Assistant Professor, Social Science, NLSIU spoke at the third edition of the History Literature Festival (HLF) on March 2, 2025. She was part of a panel on ‘An Indian Renaissance: Vivekananda and Lajpat Rai’ with independent journalist Govind Krishnan and Pushkar Sohoni, Associate Professor – Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER). The conversation touched on the themes of ‘Hindu-ness,’ ‘nationalism’ and more.
About the speaker
Dr. Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav is an intellectual historian of modern South Asia. She is interested in nationalism and secularism, and religious and political thought in general.
About the talk
Vanya will be speaking about her first book, ‘Being Hindu, Being Indian: Lala Lajpat Rai’s Ideas of Nationhood,’ which was published with Penguin Random House India in February 2024. Based on her doctoral research, the book examines the nationalist thought of Lala Lajpat Rai, and highlights the internal differentiation within ‘Hindu nationalism’. It also covers the themes of religion, majoritarianism, secularism and caste.
Vanya’s book has been longlisted for the 2024 Crossword Book Award (Non-fiction) and 2024 Literature Live Best First Book Award (Non-fiction).
About HLF
The History Literature Festival is a platform for diverse fields and voices to converge to share civilisational stories. It is designed to create spaces for historians, authors and attendees to immerse in and engage more closely with our shared history.
The Festival weaves together intimate baithaks, discussions, musical concerts and installations to bring history to life. (Source: historylitfest.com)
The conference aims to examine the complex interplay of housing, law, economics, and spatial justice in an unequal world, and we welcome scholars and practitioners to participate.
About the Conference
Housing affordability and urban land management have become a tumultuous challenge for countries that are rapidly urbanising. These challenges are reshaping the question of urban property. Established instruments of land management, such as zoning, tenure management, building obligations, taxation, expropriation, incentives and subsidies, land readjustment, land redistribution and reform, environmental and conservation regulation, different ownership models, financialisation of land and housing, and public land management have their scope and limits. In response, new innovations are emerging in both formal and informal land management. Hybrid spaces, technology-assisted cartographies and property registries, collective property ownership, and informal property regimes are among the approaches seeking to address the dual goals of equitable access and efficient management. The convergence of law, economics, and policy is critical in shaping the future of urban development. Yet, scholarship on the interface of law and spatial dimensions of the city is scant. Where such scholarship does exist, it is often confined to isolated case studies from the Global South, which are frequently dismissed as exceptions rather than being integrated into the broader global discourse on urban studies.
In many regions, in the Global North and the Global South, the expansion of urban centres has been marked by the commodification of land and housing, further deepening the divide between the wealthy and marginalised communities. Public policies and legal frameworks often struggle to keep pace with the complexities of this expanding urban fabric, leading to gaps in affordable housing provision and sustainable land management. While innovative solutions like collective ownership models and inclusive zoning regulations have shown promise, the questions remain are (1) How can these innovations be effectively scaled in a world marked by deep economic and social inequalities? (2) What governance changes are desirable to design a responsive urban land management?
To know more about the questions and topics that will be addressed in the conference, click here.
5.00-5.20 PM | NAB 101, NLSIU:
Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Opening of the Conference: Brief on Conference Objectives and Themes
Welcome Address by Prof. Dr. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice-Chancellor, NLSIU
Welcome Address by Sunanda Nair-Bidkar, Director, South Asia, INET
5.20-6.30 PM | NAB 101, NLSIU:
Inaugural Lecture | Keynote Speaker: Alain Bertaud, Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Mercatus Center, George Mason University
Topic Tentative: Urban Land Management in an Unequal World
7.30 PM:
Welcome Dinner | (Invitation Only)
Day 2 | March 6, 2025
8.00-9.00 AM:
Breakfast | Training Centre Canteen
Registration | Seminar Room, Training Centre, Ground Floor
9.00-11.00 AM | Allen & Overy Hall, First Floor, Training Centre
Morning Session
Expert Panel 1: Housing and Urban Land Management in the Context of Inequality
Speakers:
Chetan Choithani, Assistant Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies
Ashima Sood, Associate Professor, Director, Centre for Urbanism and Cultural Economics, Anant National University
Harsh Vardhan, CEO, CDD India
Moderator: Babu Mathew, Professor and Co-Director, Centre for Labour Studies, NLSIU
11.00-11.30 AM:
Tea & Networking Break
11.30 AM-1.00 PM | Allen & Overy Hall, First Floor, Training Centre
Mid-Morning Session | Young Scholar Session
Moderator: Manpreet Singh Dhillon, Assistant Professor, Public Policy, NLSIU
Theme: Informal Housing, Dispossession, and Politics of Space
– Politics of Policy Categories: Informal Settlements in Guwahati City – Bristi Bannerjee | Discussant: Anwesha Ghosh, Assistant Professor of Social Science, NLSIU
– Politics Shaping the Urban Governance Landscape in Zimbabwe: A Behavioural Interpretation of Migration and Social Change – Himani Pasricha | Discussant: Samson Simwanza
– Does Training Farmers on Multiple Technologies Improve Adoption? – Tinotenda Chidhawu | Discussant: Sattwick Dey Biswas, Independent Researcher
– Politics of Urban Formality: The Effects of Climate Change on Female Home-Based Workers in Delhi – Morvi Gupta | Discussant: Dhivya Janarthanan, Assistant Professor of Social Science, NLSIU
1.00-2.00 PM:
Lunch | Training Centre Canteen
2.00-3.30 PM | Allen & Overy Hall, First Floor, Training Centre
Afternoon Session | Young Scholar Session
Moderator – Aniket Nandan, Assistant Professor of Sociology, NLSIU
Theme: Capitalism, Real Estate, and Urban Governance
– Challenges in Low-Income Shared Rental Housing (LI-SRH) Markets in India: A Case Study of Two Formally Operated Shared Rental Housing Suppliers in Bengaluru – Sai Rama Raju Marella | Discussant: Chetan Choithani, Assistant Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies
– Limits of the Growth Machine in the Periphery of Capitalism: Reflections on Conflicts in the Production of Urban Megaprojects in Rio De Janeiro and Johannesburg – Joao Paulo Constantino | Discussant: Sony Pellissery, Professor & Co-Director, Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion, NLSIU
– Tenurial Predicaments in a Spatially Polarized City: Housing Regulation, Tenure Security and the Politics of Informal Housing Production in India – Devansh Shrivastva | Discussant: Ashima Sood,Associate Professor, Director, Centre for Urbanism and Cultural Economics, Anant National University
3.30-4.00 PM:
Tea & Networking Break
4.00-6.00 PM
Visit to CDD – This is a voluntary studio event to understand nature based technology for wastewater management, we are organising a visit to https://cddindia.org/, which is six kilometers away from NLSIU
Day 3 | March 7, 2025
8.00-9.00 AM:
Breakfast | Training Centre Canteen
9.00-11.00 AM | Allen & Overy Hall, First Floor, Training Centre
Morning Session
Expert Panel 2: Social and Economic Dimensions of Urban Housing
Speakers:
Anjali Karol Mohan, Visiting Faculty, NLSIU
Tikender Singh Panwar, Visiting Senior Fellow, Impact and Policy Research Institute
Sheema Fatima
Jayprakash Chadchan, Professor, School of Architecture, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore
Moderator: Sushmita Pati, Associate Professor of Social Science, NLSIU
11.00-11.30 AM:
Tea & Networking Break
11.30 AM-1.00 PM | Allen & Overy Hall, First Floor, Training Centre
Mid-Morning Session | Young Scholar Session
Moderator: Gayathri Naik, Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU
Theme: Informal Housing, Gentrification, Urban Vacancy and Inclusive Development
– Creation of the ‘Other’ in Urban Discourse – A Case Study of Kochi City, Kerala – Shankar Verma | Discussant: Jayprakash Chadchan, Professor, School of Architecture, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore
– Challenges of Gentrification and Housing Deprivation among Transgender Communities in Bengaluru, India – Swarupa Deb | Discussant: Sheema Fatima
– Waiting, Anxiety and Fear: (Re)Housing the Urban Poor through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Model in Contemporary Delhi– Raajorshi Chowdhury | Discussant: Anjali Karol Mohan, Visiting Faculty, NLSIU
1.00-2.00 PM:
Lunch | Training Centre Canteen
2.00-3.30 PM | Allen & Overy Hall, First Floor, Training Centre
Afternoon Session | Young Scholar Session
Moderator: Rinku Lamba, Associate Professor of Social Science, NLSIU
Theme: Housing Rights, Social Justice, and Economic Policy
– Illuminating Inequality: Intra-State Economic Convergence and Regional Disparities in Karnataka – Mohammed Hashim | Discussant: Sudheesh R C, Assistant Professor of Social Science, NLSIU
– Gender-based Property Tax Discounts: Role in bargaining power of women in household and intergenerational educational outcome – Faiyaz Julfikar | Discussant: Karthik Suresh, Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU
– Unlocking Housing Capital: Semi-Legal Titles & Informal Credit in Delhi’s unauthorised colonies – Divya Sharma | Discussant: Neethi P, Senior Consultant – Academics & Research, IIHS
3.30-4.00 PM:
Tea & Networking Break
4.00-4.30 PM | Allen & Overy Hall, First Floor, Training Centre
YSI, INET & NLSIU: Fostering Inclusive Scholarship
4.30-5.45 PM | Allen & Overy Hall, First Floor, Training Centre
Valedictory Lecture | Speaker: Shailaja Fennell, Professor of Economic Security and Resilience; Deputy HoD, Department of Land Economy; Director, Centre of South Asian Studies; Fellow and Director of Studies, Jesus College University of Cambridge
Lecture Title: Urban Inclusion and Housing as a Form of Agency
NLSIU will be conducting a Live Information Session for prospective candidates of the NLS BA (Hons) on ‘Preparing for the NLSAT-BA’ examination. The live information session will be conducted on Thursday, Feb 12, 2026, from 6 PM to 7 PM IST.
This online session will provide information on preparing for the National Law School Admissions Test (NLSAT – BA) and the examination pattern. Faculty will also discuss sample questions during the session.
Panel of speakers:
Ammel Sharon, Assistant Professor, Social Sciences, NLSIU Dr. Anviksha Drall, Assistant Professor, Social Science, NLSIU
This information session is free and open to all candidates who are interested in the programme. To register for the information session,click here.
Sample Questions – Set II
The second set of sample questions for the NLSAT – BA is available on the application portal. Please note, the second set will be accessible by candidates who have completed their application form and paid the application fees.
To know more about the programme, visit the BA (Hons.) page. For further queries about the programme, write to .
NLSIU is hosting a Campus Visit Day for prospective candidates of the NLSAT-LLB and NLSAT-MPP on Saturday, March 8, 2025. This event is open to anyone interested in applying for the 3-Year LLB (Hons) and Master’s Programme in Public Policy programmes for the academic year 2025-26. It offers a unique opportunity to:
Attend demo classes conducted by NLSIU faculty.
Interact with members of the NLS community and gain insights into university life.
Explore the NLSIU campus through a guided campus tour.
Up to two guests are welcome to accompany applicants. Registration for the campus visit is mandatory. The schedule for the campus visit will be shared with registered attendees before the event.
Login to the application portal nlsatadmissions.nls.ac.into access the campus visit form and register!
📅 Deadline for registration: March 4, 2025 (11:59 pm)
NLSIU will be conducting four live information sessions on the new NLS BA (Hons.), the 3-Year LL.B. (Hons.) and the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP)on February 14 and 15, 2025. These online sessions will provide information about the university, the structure of the respective programmes and the application process.
Feb 15, 2025 | 6 PM – 7 PM IST Speakers: 1. Dr. Betsy Rajasingh, LL.B. (Hons) Chair and Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU
2. Dr. Rahul Hemrajani, LL.B. (Hons) Vice-Chair and Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU Webinar Link
Session on the MPP Programme
Feb 14, 2025 | 6 PM – 7 PM IST Speakers:
1. Dr. Sneha Thapliyal, MPP Chair and Associate Professor, Economics, NLSIU
2. Dr. Devyani Pande, Assistant Professor, Public Policy. NLSIU Webinar Link
To apply for these programmes, visit nlsatadmissions.nls.ac.in. For further queries about the programmes, write to .
NLSIU will be conducting an information session on the 3-Year LL.B. (Hons.) Programme on Saturday, February 15, 2025, from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM IST. This online information session will provide information about the university, the structure of the LL.B. (Hons.) programme and the application process.
Panel of speakers:
Dr. Betsy Rajasingh, LLB (Hons) Chair and Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU
Dr. Rahul Hemrajani, LLB (Hons) Vice-Chair and Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU
This information session is free and open to all candidates interested in the programme.
To register for the online information session, click here.
If you are planning to appear for the NLSAT – LLB, don’t forget to complete your registration (and payment) before March 23, 2025.
The Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion (CSSI) at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, in collaboration with the Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram Research Institute, Department of Social Welfare, Government of Karnataka, organised an eight-day research methodology course in social science from February 5 to 12, 2025 at the NLSIU campus.
Bhavin Patel is Programme Director at TrustBridge Rule of Law Foundation. At TrustBridge, Bhavin manages the Regulatory Governance project, which involves a technology-assisted analysis of regulatory orders at scale.
