News Type: Event

Play reading | No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre | The Green Room

The Green Room, student-led theatre effort at NLS, invites you to the first play reading of the Term, featuring No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre. This session will take the form of a table read followed by a discussion, as per the details below:

Date: March 18, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Venue: Amphitheatre

About the Play

No Exit places three strangers together in a single room in the afterlife. As they begin to understand their situation, they realise that their punishment lies not in physical torture but in being forever exposed to one another’s scrutiny and judgment. As each attempts to control how they are perceived, self-deception gradually unravels and the room becomes a site of psychological tension and moral confrontation. In its stark setting and dialogue-driven form, the play becomes a powerful meditation on freedom, responsibility, bad faith, and the inescapable gaze of the Other.

About the Playwright

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, and novelist, and one of the most influential figures of existentialist thought. Much of Sartre’s writing explores questions of freedom, responsibility, and the uneasy relationship between the self and others. His plays often bring philosophical ideas to life through intense interpersonal encounters.

Open to all NLS Community, whether you would like to read a role or simply listen and join the discussion.

Book Launch ‘Transforming Rights: How the Law Shapes Transgender Lives, Identity and Community’ | By QAMRA

The Queer Archive for Memory, Reflection and Activism (QAMRA), along with the Centre for Law & Policy Research (CLPR), organised a Book Launch for “Transforming Rights: How the Law Shapes Transgender Lives, Identity and Community,” edited by Jayna Kothari. The talk took place on Monday, March 16, 2026, at 5:30 pm in the library on the University campus. The event was open to the public.

Panellists

  • Jayna Kothari, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court (Editor)
  • Diti, Writer, Researcher and Development Professional (Contributor)
  • Mihir Rajamane, DPhil Candidate, University of Oxford (Contributor)
  • Rumi Harish, Musician and Social Justice Activist (Discussant)
  • Mihika Poddar, Assistant Professor, NLSIU (Moderator)

The panel particularly discussed the constitutional trajectory of equality in transgender rights cases, the implementation of reservations for transgender persons, the impact of increasing surveillance and safety measures on trans lives and the right to care and intimacy among other issues, informed by the panellists’ experience in activism, representation and research on trans rights.

About the book

India has had a rapid transformation in transgender rights from the recognition of gender self-determination to the decriminalisation of same-sex relations, and courts have set out a framework that guarantees dignity, autonomy and equal protection under the law. Yet the lived reality of the trans community continues to be marked by exclusion, discrimination, violence and the daily fight for even basic rights like access to education, healthcare, employment and shelter. Transforming Rights confronts this contradiction head-on.

This volume brings together scholars, activists, lawyers, policy researchers and community members whose work engages directly with transgender rights and the wider LGBTQIA+ community. The chapters explore constitutional protections, the demand for reservations, questions of intimacy and family, public attitudes, access to higher education and livelihood, structural exclusion and the intersection of trans activism with caste and indigeneity. Drawing on legal, social and community-based perspectives, the collection identifies the progress made, the challenges that persist and the reforms necessary to realise equal protection for transgender persons in India.

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NLS Faculty Seminar | The Myth of Judicial Primacy: An Empirical Analysis of Appointments in India’s Constitutional Courts

This week’s faculty seminar featured presentations by Pranav Verma, Assistant Professor of Law and Dr. Rahul Hemrajani, Assistant Professor of Law, on their paper titled ‘The Myth of Judicial Primacy: An Empirical Analysis of Appointments in India’s Constitutional Courts.’

Abstract

The Supreme Court of India’s ‘collegium’ system was institutionalised to insulate judicial appointments from executive influence. The principal justification of the system is that it secures judicial “primacy” in appointments and thereby preserves judicial independence. This is acutely reflected in what the court’s successive judgments have laid down – an unanimously reiterated collegium recommendation binds the executive to make the appointment. They test that doctrinal claim against institutional reality. Drawing on an original empirical dataset of 2,117 collegium recommendations and 2,390 executive notifications, apart from contextual media coverage, between October 2017 and December 2025, the faculty members examine whether judicial primacy prevails in practice.

They argue that the true measure of “primacy” must be found in moments of executive disagreements with the collegium, and by that measure, the executive is able to effectively assert its influence in the appointments process. They develop a typology of ‘executive primacy’, where the executive effectively influences the appointments process through four recurring mechanisms: de facto pocket vetoes; strategic delays in notifying appointments; batch segregation; and anticipatory accommodation of executive preferences within the collegium recommendations. These findings underscore the need to ground debates on judicial appointments in empirical realities rather than doctrine alone.

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Play Screening | National Theatre Live’s Production of ‘Fleabag’ | By The Green Room

The student-led theatre effort at NLS, The Green Room, presents a screening of Fleabag, written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (A National Theatre Live production) as per the details below:

Date: March 11, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Venue: NAB 205.

The Green Room is a nod to the intimate, lively backstage space in theatres where artists gather before a performance.

About the Play

Originally a one-woman stage show before becoming the hit series, the play is a sharp, darkly comic monologue about grief, desire, family, and self-sabotage. Blending humour with startling emotional honesty, Phoebe Waller-Bridge breaks the fourth wall to draw the audience into a confession that is as uncomfortable as it is hilarious.

About the Playwright

Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge is an English actress, screenwriter, and producer. As the creator, writer, and lead star of the comedy series Fleabag, she won various accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a BAFTA TV. She received further Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for writing and producing the spy thriller series Killing Eve. Waller-Bridge also contributed to the screenplay of the James Bond film No Time to Die and starred in the adventure film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

The Production

This National Theatre Live production has been widely praised for its intensity, minimalistic staging.

‘The Promise and the Peril of the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Litigation’ By Dr. Armin Alimardani | JSW Centre for the Future of Law

As part of its monthly workshops, the JSW Centre for the Future of Law at NLSIU is organising a workshop on March 20, 2026, from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (IST) with Dr. Armin Alimardani, Senior Lecturer in Law and Emerging Technologies at the School of Law, Western Sydney University. Dr. Alimardani will discuss his co-authored paper, “The Promise and the Peril of the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Litigation.”

The online workshop is open to the public. To attend, kindly register here (Microsoft Teams).

Abstract:

Generative Artificial Intelligence (‘GenAI’) has been employed by lawyers and parties to litigation in courts and tribunals around the world. While GenAI holds out the promise of more accessible legal services, GenAI also creates risks, such as the production of non-existent or inaccurate case citations and statements of law. Both lawyers and self-represented litigants (‘SRLs’) have failed to verify this ‘fake’ law and have used the outputs in litigation. This article examines why lawyers and SRLs are prone to misuse GenAI in litigation, including by reference to aspects of human psychology, such as automation bias and verification drift. The article then explores potential solutions to address this misuse: education, certification, sanctions and/or prohibition. Attention to solutions is crucial if the justice system and its users are to reap the benefits of GenAI without the risk of a hallucinated body of precedent eroding public trust in legal processes and the courts. Click to read the paper: The Promise and the Peril of the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Litigation.

About the Speaker

Dr Armin Alimardani is a Senior Lecturer in Law and Emerging Technologies at the School of Law, Western Sydney University. His interdisciplinary research sits at the intersection of law, technology, science and philosophy. His publications and talks focus on the social, ethical and legal impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), brain-computer interface, neuroscience and genetics. Armin’s current projects include studying the way technology is shaping the future of the legal profession, and the potential use of AI in sentencing (collaborating with the University of Brawijaya). Armin has a great sense of innovation in teaching and learning and is currently collaborating with colleagues at UNSW Sydney to build and prototype research and educational tools with natural language models (https://safetofailai.streamlit.app). Read more here.

Prof. Umakanth Varottil, Director (Visiting), JSW Centre for the Future of Law & Professor of Law, NUS Singapore Visits NLSIU

The JSW Centre for the Future of Law at NLSIU is hosting Prof. Umakanth Varottil, Director (Visiting), JSW Centre for the Future of Law & Professor of Law, NUS Singapore on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

Prof. Umakanth will deliver two talks at the University campus as per the details below:

Topic: Capital Markets and the Regulatory State in India
Day & date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Time: 9.00 AM – 10.50 AM
Venue: OAB 201
Attendees: Session for IV Year students (both sections) in the Financial Markets Regulation course

Abstract:

This session will examine the contours of the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) regulatory powers through the lens of investor protection. Using the paper Capital Markets and the Regulatory State in India, the lecture will explore the legal and institutional foundations of SEBI’s authority in the securities market, the evolution of its regulatory role, and the tensions that arise between market development, regulatory intervention, and investor welfare. The session will also address more recent developments and emerging challenges, including contemporary debates in securities regulation and the implications of the draft Securities Market Code, 2025.

Topic: India to Singapore: Reflections on Graduate Legal Education
Day & date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Time: 2.00 PM – 3.00 PM
Venue: OAB 102, NLSIU
Attendees: Open to NLS Community

Abstract: 

Why should one pursue law after law school? This talk considers that question by reflecting on what graduate legal education offers that undergraduate study often cannot. It will also discuss the different reasons students may choose postgraduate study. The session will also introduce the graduate law programmes at NUS, including the LLM, JD, and PhD, and explore the differences between graduate legal education in India and Singapore.

About the Speaker

Prof. Umakanth Varottil (NLS BA LLB ’95) is a Professor and the Vice-Dean of Graduate Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He specialises in corporate law and governance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. While his work is generally comparative in nature, his specific focus is on India and Singapore. He has co-authored or co-edited five books, published articles in international journals and founded the IndiaCorpLaw Blog. He has also taught on a visiting basis at law schools in Australia, India, Italy, New Zealand and the United States.

Book Talk | A Historical Introduction to Indian Contract Law | By Dr. Shivprasad Swaminathan

The National Law School of India Review (NLSIR) is organising a Book Talk on “A Historical Introduction to Indian Contract Law” (Routledge) by Dr. Shivprasad Swaminathan, Dean, Shiv Nadar School of Law. The talk will take place on March 4, 2026, at 5 pm, NAB 101 on the University campus.

This event is open to the public. Please note, registration for members outside of the NLSIU community is mandatory to attend the event. Scan the QR Code on the poster to register at least 24-hours before the start time.

Panellists

The panel will particularly grapple with concepts of (i) privity; (ii) undue influence; (c) damages; and (d) stipulated sums. Dr. Shivprasad and the panel will discuss questions on these concepts followed by an opportunity for a Q&A with the attendees.

About the book

Dr. Shivprasad’s book offers a genealogy of the core concepts of Indian contract law, tracing their trajectory from the nineteenth century soil of English jurisprudence in which they germinated, to their transplantation into the Indian Contract Act 1872, and the interpretation of the provisions containing these concepts by Indian courts and influential treatise-writers, over the last one hundred and fifty years.

The concepts studied by the book are: i) formation; ii) consideration; iii) privity; iv) capacity; v) consent; vi) frustration; vii) damages viii) stipulated sums; and ix) unjustified enrichment. With respect to each of these concepts, the book seeks to provide an account of the state of the English law at the eve of the drafting of the Act, with a particular emphasis on the impact the civil law had on the concept and a close study of the legislative history of the provisions of the Act codifying the concept, with a view to uncovering what the drafters had originally envisaged.

Based on extensive doctrinal and archival research, the book offers:

  • a historical background to the drafting of the Indian Contract Act and the codification process
  • a jurisprudential exploration of the limitations of common law codification gleaned from the working of the Act
  • the draft of the contract code accompanying the report of the Indian Law Commissioners in 1866, which is essential to understand the intention of the drafters of the Act
  • historical insights which hold the key to illuminating contemporary contract law problems of the kind courts routinely grapple with

 

‘Crafting Careers’ – Conversation Series | Session with Rukmini S, Data For India

Under the conversation series by eminent speakers titled ‘Crafting Careers,’ our next lecture featured Ms. Rukmini S, Founder of Data For India as per the details below:

Crafting Careers
March 11, 2026 | 3.30 – 4.30 pm
OAB 201 A, NLS Campus

Crafting Careers is a conversation series at the University under the NLS BA (Hons) programme, designed to help students navigate the world of work. Each session in the series brings leading professionals from fields such as media, government, public policy, business, finance, and the creative arts to campus for candid conversations about their journeys. These experts will share insights and advice from their professional experiences and offer reflections on how social science majors may relate to different career pathways. These dialogues will offer students a chance to learn from diverse experiences, gain practical insights, and reflect on how to build careers that align with their own interests, skills, and values.

During her visit to NLS, Rukmini delivered another guest lecture for the wider NLS Community as per the details below:

Topic: Understanding India Through Data
March 11, 2026 | 5.30 pm
Ground Floor, Conference Hall, Training Centre
Register by filling the GoogleForm (Open to public)

In an age of crumbling institutions and institutional credibility, what can Indian data tell us? How good is this data? What use is it, really? Using examples from Data For India’s work on India’s demographics, economy, health and legal system, Rukmini S spoke about her experience with what Indian public data can and cannot do, and what we can do with it. Data For India communicates socio-economic data to a lay audience using text, charts and the data itself. The analysis is built on three pillars – raw public data, a non-partisan approach, and transparency in analysis. In her talk, Rukmini will shed light on some of her team’s unexpected findings, and how this information is then used.

About the Speaker

Rukmini S is a data journalist and the founder of Data For India, a public platform dedicated to deepening public understanding of India through rigorous and accessible data analysis. Her work sits at the intersection of data, democracy, and public reasoning.

Rukmini previously served as National Data Editor at The Hindu and HuffPost India. Over the years, her journalism has focussed on inequality, gender, caste, and politics, and she has written for a wide range of Indian and international publications. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her work on estimating excess deaths in India became a crucial public resource, earning her a 2022 Sigma Award (global data journalism awards) and a Jury’s Special Mention for Investigative Reporting at the Asian College of Journalism Awards.

Her pandemic podcast, The Moving Curve, received an Emergent Ventures COVID-19 India Prize in 2020. She was awarded the Likho Award for Excellence in Media in 2019 and received an Honourable Mention at the Chameli Devi Jain Awards for an Outstanding Woman Journalist in 2020.

Her first book, Whole Numbers & Half Truths: What Data Can and Cannot Tell Us About Modern India (Westland, 2021), won the Tata Literature Live! First Book Award (Non-Fiction) in 2022. The book reflects her sustained engagement with how numbers shape — and sometimes distort — public debate.

Rukmini holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Social Communications Media from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, and an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London. She is currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the Centre for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Faculty Seminar | Remembering and Forgetting the Last Nawab’s Bharuch

We began our faculty seminar series this trimester with a guest lecture by Prof. Samira Sheikh, historian of South Asia at Vanderbilt, and the Obaid Siddiqi Chair in the History and Culture of Science, 2025-26 at the NCBS in Bengaluru. The seminar was held on March 4, 2026, at 3.30 pm, in the Ground Floor Conference Hall at NLSIU’s Training Centre.

Prof. Sheikh presented the sixth chapter of her book manuscript on the city of Bharuch in western India in the eighteenth century, which examines how, as the East India Company’s power expanded and the Mughal Empire grew ever more remote, the people of Bharuch adapted to new realities. The book brings to life the travails of individuals caught in a rapidly transforming world, while showing how the traces of those who experienced early colonialism have been obscured by subsequent political developments.

Abstract

Remembering and Forgetting the Last Nawab’s Bharuch 

In the decades after the British conquest of Bharuch, Persian and Urdu chroniclers composed elegiac accounts of Nawab Mu‘azzaz Khan’s defeat, some blaming Lallubhai Dayaldas, his Hindu Vaishnava land-revenue accountant’s “loose talk” for its fall. On the other side, British documentation offered a cooler, more dismissive portrait of the nawab and denied collusion with Lallubhai. By the twentieth century, nationalist intellectuals such as K. M. Munshi — himself descended from a scribe who had served both Mu‘azzaz and Lallubhai — recast the eighteenth century in moralized terms. For Munshi, the period’s pragmatic alliance politics and fiscal opportunism were inconvenient reminders of a decentralised, plural past. For Munshi and other nationalists, loyalty was rewritten as allegiance to the nation and betrayal became a national sin rather than a breach of patronage.

The stakes of the book lie in this shift. Colonial and nationalist epistemologies have narrowed the field of vision through which eighteenth-century India can be seen. Small polities such as Bharuch, which thrived through multilingualism and alliance, did not fit comfortably within imperial teleologies or nationalist narratives. The Muslim nawab who fled into exile did not resemble the heroic figures later nationalism preferred. The revenue capitalist who speculated and collaborated became an emblem of moral failure. Over time, Mu‘azzaz’s Bharuch faded from view; Lallubhai’s reputation as a self-serving traitor endured.

Chapter 6 also follows the material afterlives of the sources themselves. On the one hand, manuscripts preserved in a Persianate Muslim family archive entered the National Archives of India as dispersed “Oriental Records,” catalogued by genre rather than by provenance. On the other, a Persian letter collection preserved by K.M. Munshi’s family was edited and printed under the auspices of a nationalist institution. The differential visibility of these archives reflects shifts in language regimes, communal politics, and state formation. Archives, in my account, do not merely preserve the past; they structure what later historians can recover and, indeed, the official record itself.

About the Speaker

Samira Sheikh is a historian of South Asia and an Associate Professor of History at Vanderbilt University, where she specialises in the political and religious history of the Indian subcontinent from c. 1200–1950. Her research interests encompass politics and religion in South Asia, early modern trade networks, pre-colonial and early Indian cartography, and the social and economic history of regions such as Gujarat. She has also received fellowships, including support from the American Council of Learned Societies, for projects exploring early modern Gujarati maps and other historical themes. She is the author of Forging a Region: Sultans, Traders and Pilgrims in Gujarat, 1200-1500 (Oxford India, 2010), and co-editor of After Timur Left (Oxford India, 2014), and An Anthology of Ismaili Literature: A Shi’i Vision of Islam (I.B. Tauris and the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2008).

Live Information Session | Preparing for the NLSAT-MPP | March 6, 2026

NLSIU will be conducting a Live Information Session for prospective candidates of the 2-year Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) programme on ‘Preparing for the NLSAT-MPP’ examination. The live information session will be conducted on Friday, March 6, 2026, from 6 PM to 7 PM IST.

Panel of speakers:

This guidance session with NLSIU faculty will discuss how to prepare for the NLSAT-MPP. They will discuss what the test is designed to assess, how to structure your preparation, and how they expect you to approach the examination.

This information session is free and open to all candidates who are interested in the programme. To register for the information session, click here.

To know more about the programme, please visit the MPP page. For further queries, please feel free to write to us at .