The JSW Centre for the Future of Law at NLSIU is organising an online discussion with Madhavi Singh, Deputy Director of the Thurman Arnold Project and a Resident Fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School on November 24, 2025 (6 pm). The discussion will revolve around the topic, ‘Competition Issues around Google’s AI Answers in Search’.

Ms. Singh will be discussing a forthcoming paper which examines the competition risks arising from the integration of AI features in Google’s search, and the potential leveraging of dominance in search to monopolise adjacent markets such as answer engines.

Dr. Vikas Kathuria, Director of Centre on Law, Regulation & Technology (CLRT) at BML Munjal University, will be the discussant.

This discussion is part of the Centre’s series of presentations by leading scholars on novel scholarship and ongoing work.

About the Speaker

Madhavi Singh is the Deputy Director of the Thurman Arnold Project and a Resident Fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale. Her research looks at antitrust regulation of digital markets, the economic and non-economic effects of monopoly power, and consolidation in the AI supply chain.

Her professional expertise lies in antitrust, encompassing enforcement cases, corporate regulations and economic policy frameworks. Madhavi read for the Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) from the University of Oxford as a Felix Scholar and received an LL.M. from Harvard Law School as a K.C. Mahindra Scholar.

Registration

Registration for the event is mandatory. To register for the event, fill out the form here.
Registrants will receive details for the webinar link to to activate the MS Teams webinar.

 

 

 

At this week’s faculty seminar, Mahima Balaji and Kaustav Saha, Assistant Professors of Law, NLSIU, presented their paper titled, ‘Codified but Not Constrained: Recasting Proprietary Estoppel under the Indian Transfer of Property Act, 1882.’

Abstract

This article revisits the foundations of proprietary estoppel under the Indian Transfer of Property Act, 1882 (TPA), by examining Sections 41, 43, and 53A. It argues that the prevailing interpretation of these codified forms remains unduly tethered to contract law.

The article advances two core claims. First, it distinguishes between contractual invalidity – where an agreement is void under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 (ICA); and proprietary invalidity – where the interest itself is incapable of transfer under the TPA. Preserving this distinction, it is argued, is essential to maintaining the doctrinal coherence and function of proprietary estoppel in Indian property law. Second, the article reconceptualises proprietary estoppel under the TPA as generating substantive secondary rights, independent of contractual enforceability. Taken together, these claims position proprietary estoppel not as a contractual adjunct but as a distinct mechanism for the creation of proprietary interests within Indian law.

Gallery

NLSIU’s Queer Archive for Memory Reflection and Activism (QAMRA) is launching the Maya Sharma–Indira Pathak (MSIP) Collection Online Catalogue, featuring a talk by Maya Sharma, on November 25, 2025, 5 to 7 PM at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC).

RSVP Here

About the Collection

Maya Sharma and Indira Pathak are feminist, queer, grassroots activists based in Vadodara, Gujarat. Maya Sharma is a journalist and worked with trade unions and the autonomous women’s movement before entering the queer movement. She is the author of the seminal book “Loving Women: Being Lesbian in Unprivileged India” and the more recent “Footprints of a Queer History: Life-Stories from Gujarat”. Indira Pathak previously worked with labour unions, the Mahila Samakhya programme and Nari Adalats in rural Gujarat before founding Vikalp Women’s Group. Their collection, built from their personal and organisational archives, documents the lives, struggles and everyday worlds of lesbians and trans men in Gujarat. It includes personal correspondence, photographs, crisis and legal case files, newsletters, ephemera, and organisational records that document decades of grassroots queer and feminist work. This collection forms an important part of Indian queer history, and QAMRA is honored to be able to steward it.

This catalogue is QAMRA’s first searchable online catalogue. It marks the beginning of our efforts to make our archive more widely accessible online.

At this event, we will introduce the MSIP collection, talk about how it has been put together, and demonstrate how this new online catalogue can be used for research, teaching, and community work. We will also reflect on questions of access, privacy, and care in queer archival practice, in conversation with Maya Sharma about the histories, relationships, and movements reflected in the archive.

Radhika Chitkara, Assistant Professor of Law at NLSIU is moderating a book discussion on Dr. Justice S. Muralidhar’s recently published book ‘[In]complete Justice? The Supreme Court at 75,’ at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC) on Sunday, November 16, 2025. She will be in conversation with Dr. Justice S. Muralidhar, Former Chief Justice, High Court of Orissa; Justice N. Santosh Hegde, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India; and Dr. Aditya Sondhi, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India.

As the Supreme Court of India completes seventy-five years, how do we understand its role in shaping the country’s institutions and democratic ideals? Has it remained a counter-majoritarian voice, and how has it navigated questions of accountability, transparency and constitutional promise? The speakers will explore these questions and the intersections of law, legitimacy and justice in contemporary India.

If you are interested in attending the event, RSVP here.

The NLSIU Library Committee is organising a book talk titled ‘Whither a Textbook? Method & Value in Avtar Singh’s Company Law’, co-edited by Saranya Mishra, Dharmendra Chatur and Siddharth Raja. The talk will take place on November 19, 2025, at 5 pm in the NLS Library basement.

Panellists

• Mr. Siddharth Raja, Professor of Practice, NLSIU & Senior Partner, Vertices Partners
• Ms. Saranya Mishra, Senior Associate, Khaitan & Co
• Dr. Sudhanshu Kumar, Associate Professor of Law, NLSIU

This event is open to the public. Please note, registration for members outside of the NLSIU community is mandatory to attend the event. Visitors can register here.

Abstract

NLSIU is delighted to host Amlan Das Gupta, retired Professor of English at Jadavpur University and noted scholar of Classical Studies and English Renaissance literature, who will offer four online public lectures on select texts in Greek tragedy. The series, titled “Sites of Disruption: Actions and Consequences in Greek Tragedy,” will focus on Sophocles’ Antigone, Euripides’ Medea, and Aristotle’s Poetics.  Prof. Das Gupta has provided a handout for guided reading here.

The talks are scheduled on Saturdays, December 6, 13, 20, and 27, from 4 to 5:30 PM.

Please register your interest on this Google Form. Registered participants will receive updates and lecture links closer to the date.

About the Speaker

Prof. Amlan Das Gupta is a former Professor of English at Jadavpur University, where he taught for over two decades and played a central role in developing the university’s pioneering digital humanities and textual scholarship initiatives. A distinguished scholar of Classical and Biblical Studies, English Renaissance literature, and Miltonic thought, his research spans Greek tragedy, humanist traditions, and the intellectual history of the early modern period. He has published widely on Milton and Renaissance poetics, edited volumes on Renaissance culture, and contributed essays to major journals and anthologies. Prof. Das Gupta also headed the School of Cultural Texts and Records for nearly a decade, and founded the Archive of North Indian Classical Music, reflecting his deep engagement with textual, aural, and digital forms of scholarship.

Reading List

Texts

Sophocles, Antigone (Any translation; Richard Jebb, Richmond Lattimore and David Grene, and Robert Fagles are some well-known translators)

Euripides, Medea (Any translation; those by Philip Vellacott and Lattimore and Grene are popular)

Aristotle, The Poetics (Ancient Literary Criticism, ed. D.A. Russell and M. Winterbottom, Oxford, 1972) Chapters 1-15, pp 90-111.

Discussion

Martha Nussbaum, The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 1986.  Chapter 3, pp.51-84, Ch 12, particularly pp.373ff.

E.R.Dodds, ‘Euripides the Irrationalist’, The Classical Review, 43 (03), 1929, pp.97-104

The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy, Edited by P. E. Easterling, Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Background

Bruno Snell, The Discovery of the Mind: The Greek Origins of European Thought, Harper & Row,  2013

J-P. Vernant, The Origins of Greek Thought, Cornell, 1982

Judith Butler, Antigone’s Claim: Kinship Between Life and Death, Columbia University Press 2000

The ICICI Professorial Chair on Business Laws at NLSIU is hosting an expert on corporate law, Mr. Neeraj Vyas (NLS BA LLB 2014), Partner at Saga Legal, as a guest speaker on November 12, 2025.

Mr. Vyas will have an interactive session with 3rd to 5th year students of the BA LLB (Hons), final year students of the LLB (Hons), and students of the LLM programmes on the topic ‘The Importance of Legal Due Diligence’. The session will be held from 3 pm to 4:30 pm at NAB 101, and is being coordinated by NLS faculty Dr. Garima Gupta and Ms. Varsha Aithala.

About the Speaker

Mr. Vyas is a law graduate from the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. He is a Partner at the law firm, Saga Legal, and is based out of their Bengaluru office. He comes with a professional experience of almost a decade of corporate transactional and advisory expertise in navigating intricate private equity and investment fund transactions, and includes general corporate advisory, M&A, and venture debt matters, and across various sectors such as technology (Edtech, Agritech), FnB, education, media and entertainment. He has been recognised as a ‘Key Lawyer’ within the ‘Private Equity and Investment Funds’ category by The Legal 500. Prior to joining Saga Legal, he worked with Samvād Partners, Indus Law, and ICICI Bank Limited.

About the Session

Legal due diligence (LDD) is one of the most foundational yet under-taught aspects of corporate legal practice. While students learn contract law, company law, and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) theory, the practical application of these concepts often begins with conducting due diligence. For most law firm associates, due diligence is the first major task assigned, and it sets the tone for how effectively they can operate in a transactional environment. This session aims to bridge the gap between law school learning and on-ground practice by demystifying what legal due diligence really involves, why it matters, and how young lawyers can add value through it.

Duration: 60 to 90 minutes
Format: Interactive talk with real examples and a sample red-flag exercise.
Q&A: Open discussion on how students can build skills relevant for transactional work.

Objectives

By the end of this session, students will:

• Understand what legal due diligence is and its relevance in corporate transactions.
• Learn how to approach a due diligence exercise methodically.
• Appreciate how due diligence findings influence deal negotiations and transaction documents.
• Gain insights into common mistakes and best practices for young associates.

Key Topics

1. What is Legal Due Diligence?
 Definition and purpose: “trust but verify.”
 Where LDD fits in the transaction lifecycle (pre-deal stage to closing).
 How it supports decision-making in mergers, acquisitions, investments, and financings.

2. Types and Scope of Legal Due Diligence
 Corporate due diligence: incorporation, shareholding, and capital structure.
 Contractual due diligence: key commercial contracts, termination clauses, change of control.
 Regulatory and compliance due diligence: licenses, approvals, ongoing obligations.
 Litigation and dispute due diligence: material proceedings, risk assessment.
 Employment and real estate due diligence: employee issues, property ownership, leases.

3. The Due Diligence Process
 Understanding the data room and how information is provided.
 Setting timelines and scoping the review (red flag vs. comprehensive review).
 How to use a diligence checklist effectively.
 Categorizing findings: critical, major, and minor.
 Drafting the diligence report: structure, tone, and clarity.

4. Practical Insights from Law Firm Practice
 What partners and clients expect from a good diligence memo.
 How young associates can stand out while doing diligence work.
 Real-life anecdotes: how a small finding changed a deal.
 Technology and AI tools now reshaping due diligence.

Why it matters

Due diligence is often the first real opportunity for young lawyers to understand how law intersects with business. It builds analytical discipline, attention to detail, and commercial awareness. Strong due diligence skills:

• Make you more valuable in deal teams.
• Help you think beyond documents: to business strategy and risk.
• Form the foundation for later responsibilities like drafting and negotiations.

This session is intended to make due diligence not just a “law firm chore,” but an intellectually engaging exercise in understanding how law safeguards commercial intent.

The National School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, is organising a first of its kind boot camp on International Taxation on December 19 & 20, 2025. The boot camp, focussing on ‘Tax Treaties: Contemporary Law and Practice’ will be delivered by NLSIU faculty Dr. Nigam Nuggehalli and Dr. Ashrita Prasad Kotha, along with Dr. Dhruv Janssen-Sanghavi.

The two-day immersive and interactive boot camp will focus on key treaty provisions, core concepts and real-world case studies.

Aim of the Workshop

• To enable participants to gain exposure to key concepts and founding principles from distinguished experts in the field.
• To equip participants with the required academic grounding to appreciate the technical complexities in international tax law.
• To provide participants from diverse professional and academic backgrounds an opportunity to stay abreast of the latest global developments in the dynamic discipline of international taxation.

Who Should Attend?

The boot camp will be ideal for academics, practitioners (lawyers, chartered accountants, consultants) and students.

What Will You Gain?

• A unique opportunity to learn from and interact with distinguished international tax law scholars and practitioners on core concepts and key principles.
• A comprehensive deep dive into the technical and practical nuances of applying tax treaties to real-world problems and controversies.
• A certificate of participation, on attending both the days of the bootcamp.

Resource Persons

The sessions will be delivered by:

• Dr. Nigam Nuggehalli, Registrar In-Charge and Chair Professor, Department of Revenue Chair, NLSIU
• Dr. Ashrita Prasad Kotha, Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU
• Dr. Dhruv Janssen-Sanghavi, Founder, Janssen-Sanghavi & Associates

View Schedule

How to Apply

• Interested candidates must submit their registration request through this Registration Form between November 19 and December 15, 2025. Please note that registration is mandatory.
• Selection will be primarily based on the applicant’s CV. Diversity of professional and academic backgrounds will be duly considered during the review process.
• Selected candidates will be notified via email. To confirm participation, the full fee must be paid to NLSIU within three (3) days of receiving the payment link. Failure to make the payment within the stipulated time will result in the seat being offered to the next shortlisted candidate.

Workshop Fee

Enrollment is competitive due to limited seats and will be confirmed only upon full payment of the applicable fee.

Participant Category	Fee (All Inclusive)	Eligibility Requirement
Students/Faculty	₹4,000	Upload valid ID/proof
Professionals	₹12,000	NA

Group Offer for Professionals

We are pleased to extend a group discount for professionals applying in a group of four (4) members, making the fee ₹10,000 per participant.

Please Note: The discount will apply only if all four members are selected. If fewer than four candidates are selected, the standard professional fee of ₹12,000 per participant will apply.

Important Notes

• The workshop fee covers the certificate, lunch & tea during the sessions. As this is a non-residential workshop, participants are requested to make their own accommodation and travel arrangements to the NLSIU campus.
• Attendees are expected to actively participate in the sessions. There will be no formal assessment, research papers submission or exam.
• A certificate of participation will be issued to those who attend and complete the workshop.
• There shall be no refund of any fees should the participant cancel the enrollment or fail to attend the workshop.

Contact Us

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