NLS Alumna Vibha Nadig Featured in Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 | Class of 2025

We congratulate our alumna Vibha Nadig (NLS BA LLB 2023) for being featured in the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 Class of 2025! The list features Vibha in the Social Impact category for her work carried out through her legal aid organisation ‘OutLawed India.’

Since its inception in 2019, ‘OutLawed India’ has formed a network of legal aid trainers across India, who offer what they call ‘last mile justice delivery.’ We spoke to Vibha and asked her to share more about her journey and work.

What are your thoughts about being featured in the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 Class of 2025? 

It’s definitely exciting! I think when you’re in the impact space, you have to grapple with the complex feeling of “there is so much to be done and I wonder where this gets me,” or “will this help me grow the mission further?”. I’m incredibly excited and grateful to Forbes for this recognition, but this is one milestone in a very, very, very big mission.

Can you tell us about how OutLawed India started? Where did the idea spring from?

I started ‘OutLawed’ in 2019. It was my second year at NLS and after an especially bad exam, I remember thinking to myself that if I was struggling so much to understand the law while being at the best law school in the country, I could only imagine how inaccessible the law is to people who didn’t have access to formal legal education.

In general, I always had a passion for teaching. My grandparents were teachers. I spent a lot of time during my school years volunteering in government schools. I thought I could combine my newly acquired knowledge of the law with my passion for teaching.

I started recruiting volunteers from law schools across the country and we put them through a short training with the support of my friends at Teach For India. We would then go to places like government schools and anganwadis, and we would help raise awareness about the law — everything ranging from women’s rights to cyber laws and consumer laws.

At that point, my ‘theory of change,’ was that if you help people understand the letter of the law, it will help them access their rights and access justice. Very quickly we realised that this was not the case. We started to realise that people may know of the law; for example, if you are facing domestic violence, you could theoretically know that you need to go to the police station, but that knowledge doesn’t give you the courage to walk into a police station by yourself and get that FIR registered.

When I was in my fifth (and finaI) year at NLS, I had to take a call on whether to take the corporate route, the litigation route, or the policy route. Instead, I decided to go full-time with ‘OutLawed’ straight out of University. I was lucky enough to have people from NLS join me full time, which was a really big show of faith. This was going to be their first job as well as mine.

Just being from the NLS community is so helpful. Our first supporters and mentors were all NLS alumni. Their support really helped shape what ‘OutLawed’ is today. So, with that support we went into it full time.

What is the long-term vision for OutLawed? What do you hope to achieve in the years ahead?

Shortly after we went full time into ‘OutLawed’, we had the idea to start training members from underserved communities as paralegals, or as we call them, ‘Nyaaya Mitras.’ These individuals are trained in regional languages and they’re from the communities they serve. Our paralegals are migrants, domestic workers, factory workers, and belong to gender and sexual minorities. They are trained to provide the first point of contact for legal services. This could range from registering an FIR, or a DIR in a domestic violence case; securing an RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy, and Crops) or khata (document that confirms the property’s legality and its status) from the sub-registrar’s office; to drafting a legal notice to your employer if they haven’t paid your wages on time.

What we hope our ‘Nyaaya Mitras’ will do is provide localised and contextual legal aid in regional languages by functioning as friendly neighbourhood paralegals. Essentially taking the law out of courts and into the homes of people who need it the most. Over the last six months, our Nyaaya Mitras have worked with over 2500 individuals; navigating complex issues from domestic violence and child sexual abuse to community level issues like water access and evictions.

We envision that one day our paralegals can be the equivalent of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers in the law, who will work at that scale, at that engagement, at both the state and national level.

Is there a message you have for law students?

We need so many more initiatives to come out of law schools if we’re going to solve issues involving access to justice. However, students will need foundational support in order to do this, and I’m excited to pass on the baton to the next generation. I’m so hopeful at the kind of innovation that I know law students are capable of!

View the Forbes Asia List of 30 Under 30 2025 here.

Request for Proposals | Electrical and Miscellaneous Works at NLSIU

The National Law School of India University (“NLSIU”) established under the National Law School of India Act, 1986 solicits proposals from qualified bidders for Electrical and Miscellaneous Works at NLSIU in accordance with specifications and requirements mentioned in the notification below.

Date of Issue of Tender: 14.05.2025
Last Date for Submission of Technical and Commercial Bids: Up to 5.00 PM on 20.05.2025

Note: Technical and Commercial bids should be submitted separately, in separate sealed envelopes.

For more details along with the terms and conditions, please read the following:

  1. Tender Document
  2. Annexure-1: BOQ for Electrical Works at NLSIU

Reflections from the NLSIU AI & Law Forum 2025

The National Law School of India University, Bengaluru held the first edition of the NLSIU AI & Law Forum on May 10, 2025 at the NLS campus. The Forum brought together research scholars, innovative legal tech start-ups, and impactful civil society organisations that leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address legal challenges and contribute to systemic legal reforms.

The Forum featured several engaging events, including:

  • Presentations: AI start-ups, research scholars and civil society organisations showcased their products and initiatives. GenAI and legal tech names such as Jurisphere, Axara AI, India Kanoon, Lucio, TrustBridge, WeVaad, XKDR Forum, Jhana.ai, among others, participated in panel discussions about GenAI in relation to the legal profession, legal research, and legal system reforms.
  • Workshops: A number of interactive hands-on workshops were held to equip teams of students to explore and build innovative solutions at the intersection of generative AI and law.
  • AI Labs: Dedicated labs were set-up to provide premium access to advanced AI platforms. Students had the opportunity to explore various AI software tools relevant to the legal domain.
  • Prompt Challenge: The prompts were primarily evaluated on the basis of (a) the outputs they generated through Google’s AI model Gemini 2.5, and (b) for their ability to generate summaries and judgments that were concise, well-structured, and focused on the necessary components of the respective documents. The winning prompts were able to generate the best results and maintain consistency of output quality over a couple of different iterations.
    The winning entries are:
    Summarisation: Ritesh Raj (BA LLB Hons, 3rd year)
    Judgment Writing (joint winners): Udit Chaudhary (BA LLB Hons, 3rd year), and Abhinav Somani B.A. LL.B. (BA LLB Hons, 2nd year), Aditya Lohia (BA LLB Hons, 2nd year), and Karthik Sunkad (BA LLB Hons, 2nd year)

View the full agenda here.

Reflections from the Forum

Dr. Rahul Hemrajani, Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU & organiser of the Forum: 

“The NLSIU AI & Law Forum 2025 brought together law firms, practitioners, start-ups, civil-society organisations, and academics to explore the transformative applications of artificial intelligence in the legal domain. Discussions centred on AI’s capacity to revolutionise legal practice and adjudication, highlighting how lawyers, courts, and judges are already integrating these technologies into their work. The Forum also featured three intensive student workshops that provided hands-on training with AI tools, an AI Lab where participants experimented with premium general and specialised legal platforms, and a Prompt Challenge in which students competed in prompt-engineering exercises to build legal solutions. The event underscored NLSIU’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and preparing the next generation of legal professionals to navigate—and shape—an AI-driven future.”

Saptarshi Ghosh, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur:

“The NLSIU AI & Law Forum was an exciting event that brought together law practitioners and AI practitioners, both from the industry and academia. I presented some of the works conducted by my research group at IIT Kharagpur on application of AI models in the legal domain. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the talks from some of the leading AI-law start-ups and academics. I believe such events are much needed to achieve effective cooperation and collaboration between the law and the AI community in India.”

Devansh Kaushik, Head of Operations, Lucio:

“It was a pleasure to present Lucio’s vision on the productisation of legal services using GenAI, and to conduct a hands-on workshop with NLSIU students on a sample advisory and a diligence matter conducted using Lucio. We also had engaging discussions on the ethical use of AI and its impact on the profession. The conference and AI Lab at NLSIU were timely, well-curated, and deeply relevant to the future of law. Returning to campus in an industry-expert capacity was nostalgic. As an NLS BA LLB graduate of the Class of 2023 and now Head of Operations at Lucio—a company created and shaped by NLSIU graduates, it’s deeply fulfilling to contribute back to the institution that shaped me.”

Organisers:

  • Karthik Suresh, Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU
  • Shruthi Nair, Research Associate, Project on Exploring Digital Transformation of India’s Consumer Grievance Redressal System through GenAI, NLSIU
  • Reshma Sekhar, Academic Fellow, NLSIU
  • Siddharth M, Project Manager, JSW Centre for the Future Law, NLSIU

Student Volunteers:

  • Ritu Ranjan
  • Aditya Pratap Singh
  • Rakshith Dwaram
  • Ritika Singh
  • Sukriti Bisen

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Call for Applications | Assistant Editor, NLSIU Publications

About National Law School of India University (NLSIU)

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) was established in 1987 to be a pioneer in legal education. Over the last three decades the university has consistently been an innovative leader in legal education and research in India and has been ranked first among law universities in the National Institute Ranking Framework for the last seven years.

About the Role

NLSIU invites applications for a full-time, on-campus position of Assistant Editor for a period of one year (extendable). Under the supervision of the Consulting Editor, the Assistant Editor will help with the production of journals; coordinate with research teams and faculty members on various publications; support the production of reports and other scholarly publications; and copy-edit and proofread a range of academic and research outputs in the fields of law, social sciences, humanities, and public policy. The ideal candidate will have strong editorial skills, experience working in the publishing industry, a keen eye for detail, and an ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Assistant Editor will work closely with the Consulting Editor on the following:

  • Assist with the production process for the university’s academic journals (maintain schedulers, prepare meeting notes and agendas, etc.).
  • Assist with production of research and other academic publications.
  • Help coordinate with printers, designers, copy-editors, distributors, website developers, and other digital service providers.
  • Copy-edit and proofread academic articles, research publications, blog articles, and faculty publications for clarity, grammar, punctuation, style, and consistency.

Qualifications, Experience, and Skills

Essential Qualifications

  • An undergraduate degree in law, social sciences, humanities, public policy, or a related field.

Desirable Qualifications

  • A postgraduate degree in law, social sciences, humanities, public policy, or a related field.

Essential Experience

  • 2+ years of experience in the publishing or media industry, preferably in an editorial role.

Desirable Experience

  • Experience working with academic writing and/or in the academic publishing industry.

Skills

  • Strong command of the English language.
  • Good verbal and written communication skills.
  • Ability to copy-edit various forms of writing, including research reports, journal articles, and blog posts.
  • Attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining high standards.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
  • Familiarity with basic software used in editing and production processes (MS Word, PDFs, MS Excel) and an ability to adapt to new kinds of digital platforms for publications.

Compensation

Starts at Rs 50,000. Salary will be determined based on qualifications and experience.

Location and Time

On campus in Bangalore, five days a week, year-round. The official working hours are 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. The selected candidate will be expected to start as soon as possible.

How to Apply?

Please fill the application form and include the following documents:

  • An updated CV.
  • A short statement outlining your interest in working with us and why you would be a good fit for the role (not more than 500 words).
  • Details of two referees with contact details.

Selected candidates will have to take a copy-editing test, followed by an interview.

Deadline

Interested candidates may apply by filling out this form by June 10, 2025 (5pm IST). Please have your relevant documents and certificates at hand.
NLSIU is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity at our institution.
For any queries, please write to .

 

Call for Applications | Editor (Journals)

About National Law School of India University (NLSIU)

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) was established in 1987 to be a pioneer in legal education. Over the last three decades the University has consistently been an innovative leader in legal education and research in India and has been ranked first among law universities in the National Institute Ranking Framework for the last seven years.

About the Role

NLSIU invites applications for a full-time, on-campus position of Editor (Journals) for a period of one year (extendable). The ideal candidate will have 7 or more years of experience, including working with academic publications, managing editorial teams, and familiarity with production processes. This role will involve managing the production schedules of the University’s journals, overseeing the journals’ editorial processes, and collaborating with contributors, peer reviewers, faculty and student editorial boards, printers, designers, and other internal and external stakeholders. NLSIU’s journals publish high-quality, open access, peer-reviewed articles in the intersection of law and other disciplines. The Editor may also be asked to support other editorial tasks within the Research Administration Team as required. Candidates who have taken a career break or are transitioning between careers are also encouraged to apply.

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Manage the editorial schedules of the University’s journals and ensure their timely publication.
  • Work with the various editorial boards to ensure the journals meet the university’s standards and editorial vision.
  • Coordinate with editorial boards, associate editors, peer reviewers, contributors, external editors, and the printer to ensure smooth operations.
  • Provide structural feedback on journal articles as well as copy-edit and proofread them when required.
  • Oversee the journal’s compliance with academic publishing standards and work towards getting the journals indexed in important databases.
  • Ensure the integration of feedback from various stakeholders and implement improvements in the journal’s processes.
  • Support the Research Administration Team with additional editorial tasks, such as editorial oversight of research publications and other academic outputs, as needed.

Qualifications, Experience, and Skills

Essential Qualifications

  • A postgraduate degree in law, social sciences, humanities, or a related field.

Essential Experience

  • 7+ years of editorial experience. (The university may consider candidates with fewer years of experience based on other qualifications and work experience.)

Desirable Experience

  • Experience as an editor or production associate/manager or in similar roles with academic publishing organisations (universities, academic presses, independent journals).

Skills

  • Demonstrated experience in managing teams, strong organisational skills, and the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
  • Proficiency with academic publishing platforms, journal databases, and indexes, as well as the academic publishing landscape in general.
  • Ability to mentor younger colleagues, including researchers, academic fellows, and students, who form a part of the journal ecosystem at the university.
  • Ability to effectively work with other departments/teams to meet institutional aims.
  • Ability to supervise the work of external editors and designers.

Compensation

Starts at Rs 90,000. Salary will be determined based on qualifications and experience.

Location

On campus in Bengaluru, five days a week, throughout the year. The official working hours are 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. The selected candidate will be expected to start as soon as possible.

How to Apply?

Please fill the application form and include the following documents:

  • An updated CV
  • A short statement outlining your interest in working with us and why you would be a good fit for the role (not more than 500 words).
  • A sample of work you have recently edited, where you are acknowledged/identified.
  • Details of two referees with contact details.

Selected candidates will be called for an interview.

Deadline

Interested candidates may apply by filling out this form by June 10, 2025 (5pm IST). Please have your relevant documents and certificates at hand.

NLSIU is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity at our institution.
For any queries, please write to .

Special Guest Lecture by JSA Managing Partner | ‘Navigating The Corporate Law Landscape’

NLSIU hosted a special guest lecture by Vivek K. Chandy, the Joint Managing Partner of Jyoti Sagar Associates (JSA), one of India’s leading corporate law firms, on May 14, 2025. In this session, Mr. Chandy shared insights from his distinguished legal career, offering guidance on navigating the corporate law landscape, and reflecting on the evolving nature of the industry.

After a brief lecture about his own career, he answered questions from our students about working at tier-1 law firm and the culture at JSA, specifically.

About the Speaker

Vivek Chandy has over 30 years of experience in the areas of private equity, mergers and acquisitions, corporate commercial work and real estate advisory in India. He is also qualified to advise on international commercial arbitration and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). He assumed office as the Joint Managing Partner of JSA in January 2019.

Convenors:

  • Rahul Singh, Associate Professor of Law, and Faculty In Charge, ICICI Professorial Chair on Business Laws, NLSIU
  • Jai Brunner, Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU

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Alumni Reunion | BA LLB Class of 2014

The National Law School of India University hosted a campus reunion for the batch of 2014 on May 10, 2025 as they celebrated 11 years of their graduation.

Our alumni spent the day on campus re-connecting with batchmates, faculty, and other members of the NLS community, and celebrating their friendships and connections over the last decade.

Schedule

Time Activity
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Arrival
12:00 pm – 12:15 pm Introduction of Batch members (Venue: OAB-101)
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm Interaction with Faculty and Batch members (Hybrid Mode)
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Networking Lunch (Training Centre)
2:30 pm – 4:00 pm Campus Walk including visit to NAB
4:00 pm – 4:15 pm Group Photo Session

Reflections from our Alums

Vikram Shah
Freelance writer, editor, and content consultant
“When I was in my third or fourth year at NLS, I had a sense that maybe a long-term legal career was not for me, though I did work for a law firm for a couple of years after I graduated. Since then, I’ve worked mostly in the media. I’ve worked at Mint as an editor of the features paper, Mint Lounge. I reported on and wrote several stories for Mint. Then I worked with the media startup called All Things Small where we put out a publication called fiftytwo.in which was long form journalism of 4,000 to 5,000 words. We would cover one different aspect of the subcontinent every week and that was a fantastic job. A dream job for me as a freelancer. I work part time with a legal journalistic outlet, but I also do corporate writing, corporate content writing. I’ve written scripts for videos. I have written an 11-part narrative podcast which was commissioned by the American podcast platform Luminary.

It’s NLSIU where I started reading novels. All those trips to Blossoms and the other amazing bookstores that are on Church Street. Here is where I met peers who encouraged this side of me. I started writing while I was in law school. The first time I got paid for a piece of writing was in my third year. I credit NLS with blowing open my mind to all sorts of possibilities, not just in terms of what’s possible career wise, but just in terms of ideas, which is an extremely important thing in my line of work.

And the other thing is that NLS was the first time that I truly understood the idea of India. At NLS, there were people literally from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to Arunachal. And it was the first time that I had a sense of what it means, how vast and wonderful our country is. And a lot of the journalism that I’ve worked on has been about that idea, and we need to preserve this idea. And NLS is where it started so I’m grateful for my time here.”

Megha Mathur
Director, Pocket FM
“It’s been so lovely to be back at NLS today after 10 years of having graduated. I think all of us loved our time here. It was five years that were transformative for most of us. We all came here when we were 17 or 18 years old. I had among the best years of our life here in Nagarbhavi. It’s been so lovely to see how much the campus has changed. We see some great new additions, and some conspicuous absences as well. Since my time after law school, I’ve worked mostly in tech companies across India. I worked at Zomato, then Meesho, and now I’m with Pocket FM. I don’t practice anymore as a lawyer. But I do think that my five years here were still foundational and helped me prepare for all of the different work that I’ve had the chance to do. So thank you so much for having us back here.”

Amshula Prakash
Entertainment Lawyer
“I’ve been working as a lawyer for artists since I graduated from NLS, and for the last couple of years I’ve also been working as an art curator. It’s very exciting to be back to a place that really formed us during the five years we spent here. It significantly shaped all of us. And I think I can speak on behalf of pretty much anyone who has been here. It has been bittersweet because there are a lot of changes on campus. It’s a mix of nostalgia and just not being able to see campus the way it was. Thanks to everybody at NLS for welcoming us so hospitably and we look forward to our 20th year reunion.”

Dheer Bhatnagar
Corporate Lawyer
“My time at NLS was very formative. I think that’s how I look at it. It was fun and it was great and all of that, but when I look back, it’s the one keyword. It has really formed who I am today. Since I graduated, I’ve done a mix of corporate law and in-house roles. Now I’m in a sort of a business plus legal role at a startup. It feels really, really good to be back. I think the campus has retained a mix of the old and the new. I can see a lot of things that have changed. I think a lot of the old charm is still here, which I really like. I hope to come back more frequently and stay in touch with the folks here.”

Chetna Kumar
Analyst, Bloomberg
“I think NLS is such an integral part of who I am. The rigour and the challenging environment we were in really tests you. Whatever I’ve accomplished since, the seeds were planted here. It’s so great to come back to most of the people who have this imprint on me.

Since I graduated, I moved away from the law very quickly. I worked in politics and now I work in geo-economics. I still feel like the skills I learned at NLS, in terms of lawyering and thinking critically, are what gave me an edge and helped me drive my own career in a different field. I think the education you get here actually makes you confident enough to go venture into new areas and be able to hold your own still.”

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Book Talks@NLS Library | ‘Sovereignty, International Law, and the Princely States of Colonial South Asia’

The NLSIU Library Committee organised a book talk by NLS alumna Dr. Priyasha Saksena (NLS BA LLB 2010) on her book ‘Sovereignty, International Law, and the Princely States of Colonial South Asia.’ The talk took place from 4 pm to 5:30 pm on May 16, 2025.

Prof. (Dr.) Arun Thiruvengadam and Dr. Samyak Ghosh were the discussants.

About the Book

What constitutes a sovereign state in the international legal sphere? This question has been central to international law for centuries. Sovereignty, International Law, and the Princely States of Colonial South Asia provides a compelling exploration of the history of sovereignty through an analysis of the jurisdictional politics involving a specific set of historical legal entities.

Governed by local rulers, the princely states of colonial South Asia were subject to British paramountcy whilst remaining legally distinct from directly ruled British India. Their legal status and the extent of their rights remained the subject of feverish debates through the entirety of British colonial rule. This book traces the ways in which the language of sovereignty shaped the discourse surrounding the legal status of the princely states to illustrate how the doctrine of sovereignty came to structure political imagination in colonial South Asia and the framework of the modern Indian state.

Opening with a survey of the place of the princely states in the colonial structures of South Asia, Sovereignty, International Law, and the Princely States of Colonial South Asia goes on to illustrate how international lawyers, British politicians, colonial officials, rulers and bureaucrats of princely states, and anti-colonial nationalists in British India used definitions of sovereignty to construct political orders in line with their interests and aspirations. By invoking the vernacular of sovereignty in contrasting ways to support their differing visions of imperial and world order, these actors also attempted to reconfigure the boundaries among the spheres of the national, the imperial, and the international. Throughout the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries, debates and disputes over the princely states continually defined and redefined the concept of sovereignty and international legitimacy in South Asia.

Using rich material from the colonial archives, Sovereignty, International Law, and the Princely States of Colonial South Asia conveys an understanding of the history of sovereignty and the construction of the modern Indian nation-state that is still relevant today. A riveting read, this book will be of considerable interest and importance to scholars of international law and South Asia, legal historians, and political scientists.

About the Author

Dr. Priyasha Saksena is a legal historian focussing on the development of legal concepts and institutions within the British Empire and their contemporary effects. She is a graduate of Harvard University (SJD) and National Law School of India University (BA LLB). Currently, she is an Associate Professor at the School of Law, University of Leeds. Prior to joining the University of Leeds, she was a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory. She also has experience of working at a corporate law firm.

Reflections from the Author

Speaking to us, Dr. Saksena said:

“It’s so wonderful to be back after 15 years to an unrecognisable campus, and have such a wonderful and warm welcome. I enjoyed a very engaged audience with some fantastic questions.

The book started out as a doctoral dissertation. But I guess the idea can be traced back to my time here at NLS when I took history courses with Professor Elizabeth, which sparked my interest in history. So I think this book can be seen as a culmination of what I started out here back in 2005.”

Related reads:

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Active Bystanders Initiative Highlights | September 2024 to March 2025

The National Law School of India University in collaboration with the Bengaluru City Police and Durga Foundation conducted training programs on sensitisation for 5,600 participants under the Active Bystanders Initiative. The initiative which is a part of the Bengaluru Safe City Project aimed to empower individuals across different community segments to identify, intervene, and respond effectively in situations of sexual harassment or violence in the city of Bengaluru.

Through targeted sessions, street plays, and community visits, this initiative has fostered a culture of proactive bystander behaviour, therefore contributing to safer public spaces. During the course of intervention (September 2024 to March 2025), bystanders from diverse communities, including auto drivers, cab drivers, bus drivers, street vendors, garment factory workers, domestic helpers, security guards, construction workers, and BBMP employees were identified and equipped with the necessary information and skills. These sessions were organised across various police station limits situated within the city.

The final report was submitted to Mr. B. Dayananda, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City, on May 14, 2025.

Implementation Approaches

  1. Active Bystander Behaviour Training Sessions:
    These interactive sessions equipped participants with the skills to identify and intervene in situations of sexual harassment in public places. The participants were informed about the concept of harassment, its types, and impact, emphasising the emotional and societal consequences of inaction. Additionally, these sessions included role-play activities to help participants explore and refine practical intervention strategies. The participants were informed about the DARE framework (Distract, Address, Rally, Extend) which consists of actionable steps for intervention.
  2. Community Visits:
    Apart from the structured sessions, community visits were organised to cover a diverse group of individuals. These visits primarily focused on shopkeepers, roadside vendors, and domestic workers.
  3. Street Plays:
    In order to spread awareness, street plays were organised in different parts of the city. The play, titled “Teesri Aankh”, focused on the themes of domestic violence, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence. The plays were delivered in multiple languages depicting different scenarios of violence and effective intervention strategies.

Observations

During the sessions with security guards, drivers, street vendors, gig economy workers, and BBMP employees, it was observed that they possessed a nuanced understanding of active bystander behaviour. While many participants expressed a natural willingness to intervene when someone was in distress, they often did not consciously categorise it as active bystander intervention or place it within the broader context of ensuring safety in public spaces for women. Instead, they viewed it as an action they might take in favourable circumstances, rather than a consistent responsibility to intervene in such distress situations. This perspective was shaped by their personal experiences or those of people they knew, where actively intervening in a situation had sometimes led to negative consequences. These experiences influenced their decision-making and highlighted the necessity of building their confidence and providing them with tools to intervene effectively. Participants were vocal about their understanding on why such incidents happen and this led to a discussion on gender stereotypes, prejudices and victim blaming.

Interactions with women unearthed interesting observations. They empathised with the idea of intervening in stressful situations because of their own personal experiences. This personal connection to the subject allowed them to quickly grasp the importance of recognising and acting upon signs of harassment or violence.

On the other hand, male participants associated active bystander behaviour with the safety and well-being of their family members, particularly female relatives. Their willingness to intervene is frequently framed within the context of protecting their mothers, sisters, wives, or daughters, showing a familiar lens through which they approach the topic.

When asked about the ideal way to respond to harassment in public places, the majority suggested that the perpetrator should be physically confronted or beaten up. While this might seem like the simplest and most immediate solution from their perspective, it can often escalate into further complications, such as mob violence. Additionally, some participants justified violence against women by citing factors such as how they dressed or their presence in certain places at times deemed unsafe. These attitudes reflected deep-seated gender biases and highlighted the need for more conversations around victim-blaming and societal prejudices.

Through our sessions, we aimed to foster a deeper understanding of appropriate responses. It also opened a pathway for participants to assess the prejudices they hold and to begin unlearning a bit in the process. Participants were encouraged to assess situations critically and decide on the most suitable course of action — whether to intervene directly, rally others to support the intervention, or escalate the matter to the police. By providing clarity on what to do when witnessing harassment, the initiative sought to empower individuals to make informed decisions, ultimately increasing the likelihood of active bystander intervention in public spaces.

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Call for Applications | Manager – Alumni Relations

NLSIU invites online applications from accomplished professionals for the position of Manager – Alumni Relations (1 vacancy). The Manager – Alumni Relations will play an important role in ensuring a high level of interaction with the alumni community, developing innovative ways of engaging with groups of alumni and cultivate the University’s worldwide alumni and supporter community into a committed group of volunteers, donors and advocates.
This is a full-time position, based out of the NLSIU campus in Bengaluru involving field and desk work, and will report to the Director – Communications and External Relations, NLSIU.

About NLSIU

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) was established in 1987 to be a pioneer in legal education. Over the last three decades the University has consistently been an innovative leader in legal education and research in India and has been ranked First among Law Universities in the National Institute Ranking Framework for the last seven years.

Role Description

A. Qualifications

Essential

  • Graduate degree in any discipline (preferably Business Administration/Communications / Public Relations or related areas) with aggregate 55% marks. Provided, for candidates with benchmark disabilities, the minimum aggregate mark is 50%.

Desirable

  • Post Graduate Degree in a related field.

B. Experience and Skills

  • Minimum 6 years of overall work experience with at least 3 years in alumni engagement, programme development, stakeholder engagement, client servicing, financial aid initiatives, or a related field;
  • Excellent ability to work with and manage a wide range of internal and external stakeholders and forge partnerships;
  • Excellent research, communication and drafting skills;
  • Excellent time management skills and ability to meet tight deadlines;
  • Strong budget management skills, organisation skills and IT skills.

C. Role and Responsibilities

The Manager-Alumni Relations would serve as the primary point of contact between alumni and the University and will report to the Director Communications and External Relations.

They will be responsible for undertaking the following tasks:

  • Continuous outreach to NLSIU alumni across years and programmes;
  • Creation and maintenance of a platform to offer a uniform and easily accessible set of services to all alumni of NLSIU across programmes;
  • Engagement on the platform and through other channels to promote and enhance alumni relations;
  • Develop and implement alumni engagement strategy for NLSIU and support of key University priorities around student recruitment, global engagement, fundraising and employability;
  • Develop innovative ways of engaging with groups of alumni to reach, inspire and cultivate the University’s worldwide alumni and supporter community into a committed group of volunteers, donors and advocates;
  • Develop, maintain and regularly update repository/database of alumni profiles and alumni success stories to position alumni at the heart of the University’s profile, both nationally and internationally and to support key University priorities including employability, recruitment and fundraising;
  • Works with departments (academics, professional learning etc) to launch course-based, batch-wise, state-wise, country-wise alumni groups and associations;
  • Lead the creation and launch of alumni services;
  • Coordinate with the University communications team on alumni engagement to ensure the successful delivery of engagement activities and promotion of alumni success stories;
  • Coordinates and produces reports, proposals, and analyses for management, to include monthly budget to actual reviews of areas of programmatic responsibility, periodic reports to reflect relevant data gathering and analysis, and post-event reports and recommendations;
  • Conceptualise and organise events and activities for the benefit of alumni communities;
  • Identify and develop opportunities for alumni fundraising and support.

D. Tenure

Permanent basis till the age of superannuation i.e. 60 years, subject to confirmation after the satisfactory completion of two years’ probation.

Selection Process

  • Selection will take place in two parts.
    a. Part 1 shall consist of review of applications by the University. Upon review of applications, candidates will be shortlisted in a 1:5 ratio as against the number of vacancies for the Interview round (Part 2).
    b. Part 2 will be an interview round wherein the Interview Selection Panel shall score candidates out of a total of 50 marks for selection to the post.
  • NLSIU reserves the right to have more than one round of interviews either in person or over video conferencing and to conduct independent background checks on the candidates.
  • NLSIU reserves the right to request for references from people who are not listed in the application form but would be familiar with the candidate’s previous work.

How To Apply?

Please use the Google form here to apply.

Learn more about the role and application process here.

Deadline

Interested individuals are requested to go through the University’s website, fill in the Application Form and upload the certificates to support their claim for educational qualifications, age, experience etc. The deadline to submit the application has been extended to June 9, 2025 (5 pm IST). View Corrigendum.