News Type: News

NLSIU Inclusion and Expansion Plan 2021-25

The Governing Bodies of the University have reviewed and adopted the ‘NLSIU Inclusion and Expansion Plan 2021-25’(hereafter ‘Plan’) in April-May 2021. This Plan anticipates and responds to two key developments:

  • Increasing student diversity by admitting students from various marginalized and disadvantaged sections of Indian society while expanding the University student intake in a phased manner;
  • The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 encourages larger multi-disciplinary higher education institutions that enroll significantly higher numbers of students.

The University has developed a Strategic Plan to ensure that NLSIU consolidates and builds on its status as India’s No 1 Law University. The Strategic Plan rests on three key dimensions: Student Inclusion & Expansion, Faculty & Research, and Finance & Infrastructure.

Student Admissions – Inclusion and Expansion

NLS currently has 660 students enrolled in our on-campus programmes. By 2028-29, we aim to reach a projected size of over 2,200 students. Student intake will increase in existing academic programmes:
5-year BA LLB. – 1500 students
LL.M. – 120 students
MPP – 240 students

The University aims to reinvent the 3-year LLB programme using NLSIU’s unique curricular and pedagogical approach to legal education. This programme will commence with an intake of 120 students.

Further, the University is rapidly developing technology platforms for online and hybrid educational content in order to introduce several courses for pre-law, law students and professionals.

Simultaneously, the University will implement a new inclusion policy that provides for reservations for the following categories in a phased manner over the next four Academic Years.

Vertical Categories:
Scheduled Castes (15%)
Schedules Tribes (7.5%)
Other Backward Classes (27%)
Economically Weaker Section (10%)

Horizontal Categories:
Persons with Disability (5%)
Women (30%)
Karnataka Students (25% Compartmentalized)

In addition to these reservations, the University will develop a stronger Financial Aid policy and Academic Support programmes to ensure all students benefit from a transformative education at NLSIU.

2. Intellectual Leadership: Faculty and Research

In order to ensure that NLS maintains the highest academic standards of teaching and research we must recruit and retain the best faculty in various fields. We will strive to maintain a 1:15 faculty-student ratio across all programmes.

It also aims to develop a research faculty structure to engage scholars in research projects, and reorganise research publications to achieve and sustain internationally peer recognized scholarly output.

Further, the University will recruit a cadre of researchers to support and build on faculty research. The University will reorganize its journals and incentivize research on critical public issues. The University has identified five research clusters that are currently being developed:
1. Law, Technology and Society
2. Labour and Work
3. State Capacity and Reform
4. Justice and Legal System Reform
5. Climate Justice

3. Finance and Infrastructure

In order to remain a residential campus the University will need to expand academic and residential facilities. The Plan will utilize fee revenues from on-campus and off-campus academic programmes and research grants to provide for annual revenue expenditure. Further, the University will need to raise capital grants from the government, philanthropists, alumni and businesses to successfully implement this Plan.

In AY 2021-22 the University will move from the planning phase and take the first steps towards the implementation of this Plan. Simultaneously, we are reaching out to diverse stakeholders for further conversations, guidance and contributions to this Plan. Further updates will be available on the University website.

View official Press Release.

NLSIU Alumni Raise Over Five Million INR for COVID Relief to the NLSIU Community

Sameer, a staff member at NLS, had a harrowing time when his mother fell ill after having contracted COVID-19. “The virus was detected through a CT scan. In the absence of an RT-PCR test, we were unable to even approach hospitals for a bed. And it was a challenge accessing the medication Remdesivir. I had essentially lost hope,” said Sameer, who then reached out to the University for help.

With several alumni and students pitching in for help, he managed to procure a bed at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital for his mother, who has now returned home and is recovering. “The COVID Relief Committee helped us with procuring medicines and footing hospital bills,” said Sameer, who was able to get timely financial aid thanks to the immediate response from the Alumni Community.

Sameer is one of the beneficiaries of the NLSIU COVID Relief Fund which has garnered over Rs. 50 lakh, owing to the tremendous efforts of our alumni toward supporting the NLSIU Community during the pandemic.

Why was the Fund set-up?

In the second half of April, we witnessed the peak of the second wave of COVID-19 during which several members of the NLSIU Community were affected. There were a number of faculty and staff members who, either had relatives in hospitals, or were battling the virus themselves. Beds were hard to come by, and treatment was expensive. It was around the same time that two beloved members of the Community, Prof. V S Mallar and Dr. R S Kumbhar, also succumbed to the virus.

This led to discussions on alumni WhatsApp groups where alumni expressed their willingness to help those in need of funds. NLSIU faculty member Dr. Mrinal Satish, who is part of the COVID Relief Committee, said: “There was a conversation within the Alumni Community on raising funds, and faculty members also received calls from alums who were keen on contributing for COVID relief to the NLSIU community. They suggested that a formal fund be set up by the University, to which contributions could be made. Accordingly, the NLSIU COVID Relief Fund was set up within the next 24 hours.”

Rs. 48 lakhs in 48 hours!

The University worked with the Governing Council of the Alumni Association to put out a call on social media,including alumni WhatsApp groups, regarding the Fund. The response to the call was overwhelming – nearly Rs. 48 lakh was collected within hours of the Fund being set up! The first chunk of ₹21 lakh was raised in the first 24 hours while another chunk of ₹27 lakh came in during another slot of 24 hours. The Alumni Community rose to the occasion with around 250 members contributing to the Fund.

COVID Relief Committee:

To ensure a systematic way of disbursing the funds for COVID Relief, the University set up a Committee comprising two members each from the faculty, the administrative staff, and the Alumni Association. To ensure quick turnaround, the committee coordinates online to decide on the method of disbursement.These funds are distributed on a need-basis, and to those whose financial need is over and above the benefits provided by the University, including insurance and medical reimbursements. A few members of the staff and their families have already received assistance from the Fund for COVID-19 treatment.

Life Beyond COVID-19:

Besides providing for treatment and medical facilities, few alumni members also expressed interest in contributing toward education and future support to families impacted by the pandemic.

Ex-gratia payments were given out to families of two staff members who passed away due to COVID-19: Ravi C B, the hostel cook, and Srinivasa H, the housekeeping supervisor at the University.

Ravi, who passed away in April, is the son-in-law of Narayanappa, who was a cook in the Boys’ Hostel until his retirement recently. Ravi is survived by his wife and two daughters aged 10 and 6 years old.

His wife, Anitha said: “At first, we weren’t able to find a bed, and then there was the mounting medical care expenditure. However, NLS helped and supported us at every juncture – be it in facilitating a bed, medical expenses, as well as emotional support. While there are going to be several challenges lined up ahead, the University and alumni support has given me some strength in these difficult times.”

Appreciating the prompt support:

Acknowledging the prompt and substantial support received from the Alumni Community, NLSIU Vice-Chancellor Prof (Dr) Sudhir Krishnaswamy observed that “While the University does provide a generous medical insurance and an adequate medical expenses reimbursement plan, the COVID pandemic placed demands on staff that far exceeded this coverage. Our alumni ensured that we could support every staff member in need and allow them to get through this crisis. Above all, the COVID Relief Fund effort demonstrates the ability of the University and our Alumni community to work collaboratively, effectively and transparently to resolve insurmountable challenges – this is a great sign for the future of the University!”

 

Meet our new faculty member | Smitha Krishna Prasad

 

NLSIU extends a warm welcome to Smitha Krishna Prasad who joins the University as Assistant Professor, Contract Law. Smitha holds an LL.M. degree in International Legal Studies from the New York University School of Law, where she was an International Finance and Development Fellow, and a B.A.LL.B. degree from Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Her primary research interests focus on issues around privacy, data protection and surveillance.

We asked her to share more about her interests and her work.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself/your background?

I am from Bangalore, and grew up in the city. After completing my Master’s program, I worked in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice at Nishith Desai Associates. I’ve spent the past few years working in research, and prior to coming to NLS, I was Director of the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi. I am also a Senior Research Fellow at the Digital Asia Hub.

 What are your main areas of teaching? How did your interest in these areas begin?

I am starting off with Contracts. My work has largely focused on technology law and policy, and more specifically on the right to privacy. I’ve spent a lot of my time on the various kinds of arrangements that tech companies engage in, with their users and the several other organisations in the industry – first learning to read and draft these agreements, and then trying to understand the impact that they have on human rights. I am keen to use that experience in the classroom. In time, I hope to be able to teach courses that also deal with the many other aspects of technology and human rights that I’ve worked on in the past few years.

The importance of your chosen subject – Contract Law:

Contract law is a foundational subject for any law student. It is key to understanding how the law treats private / commercial arrangements. At the same time, given the number of products and services we consume on a daily basis in this age, contracts are also a part of everyday life for many of us. Irrespective of the path a student chooses in their legal career, they are likely to engage with contracts and contract law in many different forms, and I’m looking forward to working with the students at NLS on this subject.

Your thoughts on starting your teaching journey at NLS? What are your plans ahead?

I’m excited to be here, and look forward to engaging with the faculty, staff and students, a process which I’m sure involves as much learning as it does teaching. I hope to be able to work with the research community here at NLS, and build on my experience in studying the impact that technology law and policy has on individual rights and our society.

 

 

 

Call for Applications | Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy

Recruitment to various positions in the Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy (CSSEIP)

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 the undoubted leader in legal education and research in India, and ranked First among Law Universities in the National Institute Ranking Framework for the last three years. The University is committed to building on this legacy to become a leading Asian and Global law school in the next decade.

The Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy (CSSEIP) was established in 2007 and is a leading multidisciplinary research centre in India. The Centre is supported by a grant from the UGC from its inception with the objectives of (a)conceptualizing discrimination, exclusion and inclusion based on castes/ethnicity and religion, (b) developing understanding of the nature and dynamics of discrimination and exclusion, (c) contextualizing and problematizing discrimination, exclusion and inclusion, (d) Developing an understanding of discrimination at an empirical level, and (e) formulating policies for protecting the rights of these groups and eradicating the problem of exclusion and discrimination. The Centre faculty have incubated and supported the delivery of the Master’s in Public Policy programme at NLSIU since 2014.

The University now invites applications from exceptionally well-qualified multidisciplinary scholars who are committed to the research goals of the Centre to various positions described below on a Contract Basis in the subject areas of:

  • (1) Public Policy
  • (2) Economics
  • (3) Sociology and
  • (4) Political Science.

For more details, view the official notification.
Last date for submission of application is extended to 25th July, 2021. Please view the corrigendum to the official notification here.

To apply, click here.

 

Call for Applications | Chief Finance & Administrative Officer

Recruitment to the post of Chief Finance & Administrative Officer

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 the undoubted leader in legal education and research in India, and ranked First among Law Universities in the National Institute Ranking Framework for the last three years.

The University is committed to building on this legacy to become a leading Asian and Global law school in the next decade. We aim to build a professional and responsive University administration to be led by a well-qualified and highly motivated CHIEF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (CFAO) to be filled by Direct Recruitment/Contract/on Deputation for a period of 5 years or till attaining the age of 62 years whichever is earlier. Further details are available on the official notification.

View Official Notification.
Last date for submission of application is extended upto 17th July, 2021 (view notification).
To apply, click here.

Call for Applications | Alumni Officer | The NLS Alumni Office

About the Office of Alumni Services at NLSIU

The Office of Alumni Services at the National Law School of India University is responsible for maintaining a continuous relationship between the University and its former students, and helps create a sense of belonging among the alumni community. It performs the following functions –

  • 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 alumni relations

Role Description

NLSIU is looking for an Alumni Officer who will be responsible for the following:

  • Develop and implement alumni relations strategy for NLSIU
  • Lead the creation and launch of alumni services
  • Coordinate with the University communications team on alumni engagement
  • Conceptualise and organise events and activities for the benefit of alumni communities
  • Identify and develop opportunities for alumni fundraising and support

(The role is full-time based out of the NLSIU campus in Bangalore. Due to COVID related restrictions, engagement may begin on a remote basis.)

Who should apply

  • At least an undergraduate degree in a relevant field of study
  • 4+ years of work experience in university administration, programme development or philanthropic initiatives
  • Ability to work with and manage a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
  • Excellent research and communication skills
  • Strong budget management skills, organisation skills and IT skills

How to apply

Write to with the subject heading “Application for role of University Alumni Officer” with –

  • Your CV
  • The names, designations and contact information of two people willing to provide references
  • A short statement of purpose (not more than 500 words)

Deadline for applications is 24th June, 2021.

NLSIU announces the Thakur Foundation PhD Scholarships in Public Health & the Law

National Law School of India University is delighted to announce a new doctoral scholarship programme, the Thakur Foundation Scholarships in Public Health & the Law. The programme is supported by the Thakur Foundation, an organisation investing in capacity building for an empowered society through participative, socially-just governance.

In 2020-21, the COVID pandemic has generated acute awareness of the systematic underinvestment in the public health sector in India. The success of public health interventions rests on multiple factors including socio-economic considerations, training and capacity of public health cadre, access to reliable information, and the regulatory ecosystem of drugs and medical professionals. By supporting doctoral research in this area, NLSIU seeks to strengthen our understanding of the role of law and public institutions in delivering health services. Through this research we hope to address issues which lie at the interface of law and public health while developing research capacities of early career researchers. The scholarship will be offered to two students for the entire duration of their doctoral studies over a period of three years.

We invite candidates interested in topics of public health and the law to apply for this Scholarship through the 2021 NLSIU PhD application process. Application deadlines for 2021 will be announced shortly.

Eligible candidates may choose their research topic and design a proposal. Possible research directions include:

  • Public Health and the Regulation of Speech – the issue of misleading information in the advertisement of health-related products and increasing misinformation on public health issues, raising the question of how and to what extent, the state can regulate speech impacting public health in India under Article 19 of the Constitution.
  • Judicial review of regulatory decisions in the public health context – examining the extent of judicial review of Government’s decision to prohibit drugs that may lack therapeutic justification or which may be dangerous. Recent cases raise a crucial question of the extent to which the judiciary can review decisions by specialist regulators. What should be the theoretical framework for judicial review in such cases?
  • The Right to Medicine & Judicial Activism in the context of Rare Diseases & Experimental Medicine – examining recent High Court decisions interpreting the ‘right to health’ to direct the government to provide access to medicine, including medicine with insufficient clinical trial data. Research would query the extent to which citizens can claim the right to access experimental medicine lacking adequate clinical data, and whether judges can override specialist regulators in such cases.
  • Public Health and Federalism in India – examining public health decision-making from the perspective of constitutional theory. Can there be a single unifying theory on the issue of public health and federalism? If yes, what will be the contours of such a theory?
  • Regulation of the medical professions – empirical research on the two regulatory mechanisms governing the medical profession: through consumer and criminal courts, and through self-regulation bodies like the erstwhile Medical Council of India. Questions arise on the efficiencies of these two different regulatory mechanisms and the ‘quality of regulation’.
  • The ‘Right to Health’, discrimination and insurance policies – the extent to which insurance companies can discriminate against potential customers on the basis of their genetic disorders or other pre-existing medical conditions, especially government owned insurance companies.
  • Epidemics and the law – the need to update the antique Epidemics Act, 1897, keeping in mind issues ranging from questions of liberty to federalism to equitable access to medicines and vaccines.
  • Regulation of Indian medicine – the extent to which practitioners of traditional Indian medicine can practice modern medicine, with variation in state laws and recent decisions by the Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM), allowing practitioners of Indian medicine, recognized under the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970 to perform 58 surgical procedures.

Meet our new faculty member | Preeti Pratishruti Dash

We extend a warm welcome Preeti Pratishruti Dash who recently joined the University this term as Assistant Professor of Law. She is a graduate of the National Law University, Odisha and also a Fullbright Scholar from Harvard Law School. Previously, she has worked as a researcher with NLU, Delhi, and as a Summer Academic Fellow at Harvard Law School, where her research focused on unintended consequences of rape law amendment in India. At NLSIU, she hopes to use empirical research to influence pedagogy.

We asked her to share more about herself, her academic interests and her recent work.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am from Bhubaneswar in Odisha, which is where I completed high school. I studied law at National Law University, Odisha. After graduating in 2014, I worked briefly as an in-house counsel for a telecom multinational, before making a shift to work on human rights issues, particularly in the context of criminal laws. I completed my LL.M. in 2019 from Harvard Law School, where I was a Fulbright Scholar. A large part of my body of work has been with Project 39A at National Law University, Delhi, where I researched and published on issues of the death penalty, sentencing, and sexual violence.

What are your main areas of interest? How did your interest in these areas begin?

I am interested in criminal law, constitutional law, and empirical methods to study these areas. While I had been interested in criminal justice always as a student of law, it was only while I was working on the death penalty at NLU Delhi that the magnitude of injustice perpetrated through legal institutions became evident to me. I saw first-hand the profound impact of the criminal justice apparatus on the lives of marginalized. I realized that there was a lot to do in the field, especially in terms of research, and that as a country, we needed to think beyond penal solutions. This drew me towards studying criminal justice issues more deeply during my LL.M. at Harvard and over the past couple of years, I have been deeply interested in exploring non-punitive responses to sexual violence.

Your thoughts on starting your teaching journey at NLS? What are your plans ahead?

I am excited to be part of the intellectual community at NLS. I think law school is a great time for students to explore different areas and I am looking forward to engaging with them at this crucial juncture of their lives. Through my pedagogy, I hope to help students understand how to approach the subject, which will hopefully help them become critical thinkers. I am also looking forward to pursuing my research interests and engaging with colleagues on different aspects of criminal justice policy.

Call for Applications | Law, Technology and Society Initiative

About the Initiative

The Law, Technology and Society Initiative at National Law School will explore, understand, and help shape responses to critical questions at the intersection of technology, law, the social sciences and humanities, with an abiding commitment to advancing the public interest. The Initiative aims to –

  • Commit to the highest quality, independent and ethical research that is deeply rooted in Indian concerns and everyday experience.
  • Learn and inform through both time-tested and experimental methods – from rigorous empirical research to open knowledge initiatives and public platforms.
  • Engage diverse communities, both in India and globally, in the formulation of our research and recommendations.

Initially, the Initiative will work on research on the design and regulation of new digital technologies and its impact on society, in the areas of data and information technology, and internet governance.

Roles

All roles are full-time based out of the NLSIU campus in Bangalore. Due to COVID related restrictions, engagement may begin on a remote basis.

1. Research Fellow

Role Description

  • Develop and implement the research agenda for the initiative
  • Conduct original, empirical research on identified issues
  • Leverage new and existing advisory networks and partnerships across academic institutions, research organisations and government.
  • Participate in, and organise platforms for discussion of issues related to the research.
  • Lead the dissemination of research findings and policy-relevant insights.

Who should apply?

  • Candidates with a degree in law, and either a Masters degree or extensive post-qualification experience
  • 4+ years of post-qualification academic or professional experience
  • Excellent research, writing and communication skills.
  • Familiarity with contemporary law and policy issues, along with a demonstrable interest in contemporary law and technology concerns.
  • Experience in designing and executing research projects.

2. Junior Research Fellow

Role Description

  • Inform and implement the research agenda for the initiative
  • Conduct original, empirical research on identified issues
  • Coordinate collaboration and dissemination activities,

Who should apply?

  • Candidate with a degree in law.
  • 0-3 years of post-qualification academic or professional experience.
  • Excellent research, writing and communication skills.
  • Familiarity with contemporary law and policy issues, along with a demonstrable interest in contemporary law and technology concerns.

3. Programme Development Officer

Role Description

  • Develop and implement strategies for programme development
  • Identify and develop opportunities for programmatic support
  • Maintain external stakeholder relationships related to programme development.
  • Set up internal processes for managing fundraising lifecycles and donor relations.

Who should apply?

  • Candidates with an undergraduate degree in a relevant field of study.
  • 4+ years of experience in programme development or philanthropic initiatives.
  • Ability to work with and manage a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
  • Excellent research and communication skills
  • Strong budget management skills, organisation skills and IT skills.

How to apply

Write to with the subject heading “Application for Law, Technology and Society Initiative” with –

  • Your CV
  • A published writing sample or extract on an issue of law, technology or public policy (not more than 2000 words) [Not applicable for Development Officer role]
  • A short statement of purpose (not more than 500 words)

Deadline for applications is 30th April, 2020.

 

Bridge Course Programme | July 2021

NLSIU announces one/two year Bar Council of India Bridge Course Programme for Indian Nationals holding foreign law degrees. Candidates who have been permitted by the Bar Council of India to pursue the Bridge Course at NLSIU may apply for the course. For fee details, please send an email to .

The Bridge Course is scheduled to commence in July 2021.

To apply, fill out your details in the form here.