Project Type: Current Projects

In September 2021, NLSIU initiated a research project which aims to assess and strengthen the role of women in policing in India, with a focus on the southern state of Karnataka. Funded by the Hanns Seidel Stiftung, a leading German Foundation, the two-year project aims to promote better understanding of, and informed engagement with, policy, legal and operational issues surrounding policewomen in India.

Timeline: 1 September 2021 till 31st December 2023

Background

Since 2009, the need to increase the representation of women in in the police forces has gained prominence in Indian policy discourse. This shift is attributed to certain criminal law reforms that enlarged the statutory functions to be undertaken by women police personnel. In 2009 the Government of India adopted, for the first time, a target of 33% representation of women in the police. Official data as of 2020 shows that nine states and all union territories except Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have adopted a 33% reservation policy. Five states have a 30% reservation policy, and five states have 25% or less reservation.

As of 2020, the Karnataka State Police reported 6,896 policewomen in total (civil and armed), constituting 8.28% of the state police (Data on Police Organisations in India as 1 January 2020, Bureau of Police Research and Development). It is relevant to note that 88% of the total civil policewomen strength in the state is at the Constabulary ranks (Constable + Head Constable), and less than 1% at the leadership ranks (SP and above). The investigating ranks (ASI/SI and Inspector) have 730 women against a total of 1,051 police stations. In other words, 321 police stations will not have a single woman Investigating Officer at any given point.

Achieving the target of 25% within a specified time period will require coordinated and simultaneous efforts at multiple levels to ensure the recruitment of women at each entry level, year-on-year; robust facilities and infrastructure; and effective policies by way of creating an enabling environment for women.

Project Overview

The project has three components:

• Study on Women in Karnataka State Police (May 2022-April 2023)

In May 2022, NLSIU entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Karnataka State Police to conduct an independent assessment of the status, role and challenges facing policewomen at different levels within the state police. The study involves two phases: 

Phase 1 involves a district and police station-wise assessment of women’s representation at different ranks across the state. This is now complete. 

Phase 2 involves the ground assessment of challenges faced by policewomen in Karnataka. Currently underway, this is being conducted through one-on-one interviews with senior women police officers and focus group discussions with women constables in at least 10 districts in Karnataka. As of December 2022, the team has completed fieldwork in Mysore, Mandya, Chikkaballapura, Kodagu, Udupi, Kalaburagi and Raichur districts. The project also includes an attitudinal survey to gauge the views of male and female police officers on the importance of having women in policing. This is crucial in order to assess the support, at all levels, towards increasing women’s role in policing. 

The findings of the study will culminate in a comprehensive report to be submitted to the Karnataka police department by April 2023. For details on the methodology, see the concept note.

• Police training and knowledge sessions (June-December 2023)

Workshops centred on findings emanating from the study, particularly around systemic barriers to women’s equitable growth, will be delivered to senior and district level supervisory officers. Jurisprudence around substantive equality, affirmative action, legal remedies and police reforms will be discussed to deepen the understanding of organisational changes required for achieving gender diversity in policing. 

• Legal awareness (throughout the project period)

A key component of the project is to develop targeted resources explaining legal provisions, national policies as well as international practices and trends on supporting policewomen. These are being disseminated widely to police leaders, practitioners and researchers. 

Project Resources

Through the project period, observations and insights from the research will be shared through multiple platforms at NLS including public lectures, faculty seminars, NLS newsletter and social media.

• Explainer Note | Policewomen in India: Legal mandate and policy guidelines for exclusive and preferable functions

The explainer note is designed as an educational resource to deepen awareness about the specific functions and roles mandated by law to be performed by policewomen in India. Recognising the statutory functions of policewomen is crucial in order to ground both policy and public discourse around the role of women in policing. For police officials, knowledge of the legal mandate can provide an impetus for the department to plan for increased recruitment and deployment of women at all levels. It can further be helfpul in mobilising support for the increased role of women in policing particularly at the middle and subordinate levels. Among the public, the note aims to deepen awareness about important safeguards and procedures in interacting with the police, particularly as a female victim, witness or a suspect.

The note is available in English and Kannada.

• Blog Series | ‘Dispatches: Women in Police’
  This blog series highlights field notes and emerging insights from the project in the hope of generating greater interest in the functioning of an institution that serves as the first port of call for those seeking criminal justice. Read the first blog post here.
• Dialogue Series | ‘Equalising the Role of Women in Police’: This is an online dialogue series featuring programmes, initiatives and research on women in policing from India and around the world. More details of the inaugural webinar, ‘Global Practices on Women in Policing’ is available here. 
• Animated video | Legal mandate of policewomen in India
• Compendium | Global practices on women in police

Watch the inaugural webinar on ‘Global Practices on Women in Policing’ below:

Final Output

The project will culminate with a report presenting findings of the assessment and targeted recommendations to the state police department.

For further information, please reach out to:

Devyani Srivastava: 

Laksha Kalappa Baleyada: 

 

Project with IIT Bombay & the Department of Consumer Affairs with the support of Meta.

In November 2023, the National Law School of India University announced a new research project on consumer law with the support of Meta. This project will assess how large language models (LLM) can be used for building public solutions for enhancing efficiency in India’s consumer grievance redressal system. The project is being executed along with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), in collaboration with the Department Of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) as the knowledge partner.

The research initiative will explore the feasibility of leveraging Llama 2, Meta’s openly available large language model, in creating and evaluating a proof of concept of a citizen centric chatbot and a decision-assist tool in the area of consumer law. With the goal of enhancing efficiency, the chatbot will be designed to guide consumers on the procedural aspects of drafting a complaint and answering questions relating to consumer law in India. The decision assist tool in this research also will be designed to support searching case laws and summarisation of documents to provide assistance to judicial authorities in the area of consumer affairs.

The research project will explore how LLMs can assist consumers or judicial authorities in the context of ongoing oversight and control by human decision makers. In keeping with the commitment to responsible innovation, NLSIU and IIT Bombay will also release a white paper explaining the risk mitigation approaches implemented and how responsible design principles have been deployed at every layer of stack.

At the launch of the project, Prof. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice-Chancellor of National Law School of India University said, “The National Law School of India University is committed to academic research and legal innovation using Artificial Intelligence to aid legal system reform. This project on consumer law aims to enhance awareness on consumer rights, and to provide accessible  assistance by leveraging Llama2. With our expertise in interdisciplinary research, NLSIU is uniquely positioned to help pioneer these legal applications employing large language models. We will create a rich corpus of Indian legal resources to map the landscape of consumer disputes in the country, and use this corpus to train the Llama model. We will work to ensure that the material fed into the model is relevant, reliable, and user-friendly. Additionally, we will develop a prototype of a decision-assist tool to support efficient consumer dispute resolution. We look forward to working with Meta, IIT Bombay and the Dept. of Consumer Affairs on this exciting initiative that marks a significant step towards transformative legal reforms in India.”

Research Posts:

• Legal Applications and Implications of Large Language Models
  Authored by Project Interns: Mohit Kumar Meena, Suresh Gehlot, Aman Sunil Patidar, Suraj Harish, Meenal Jain.
• The Disadvantages and Limitations of Using Large Language Models in the Field of Law
  Authored by Project Interns: Jerrin B. Mathew, Sannah Mudbidri, Sanika Atul Tapre, Banisethi Aashrita

The National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, has undertaken a research project that evaluates the ‘Impact of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in India.’ This project is funded by the Samagata Foundation.

What is FOSS?

Free and Open Source Software can be defined as software that provides users the freedom to run, study, change, improve and distribute original or modified versions of the software. It differs from closed source or proprietary software that not only lacks these attributes but can only be used in its executable form post obtaining a licence.

The code development in FOSS is characterised by contributions from volunteers of the open source community, with a core group of skilled programmers overseeing administration and governance. The motivation for FOSS contributions generally stems from the desire to develop solutions for addressing common challenges, learning software development and signalling their skills and abilities to potential employers.

In the past two decades, the use of FOSS has expanded far beyond hobbyist circles to large-scale commercial uses. While FOSS is freely available, the software in its original form may not be directly usable for many business applications. Hence, firms have shifted to generating revenue by providing value-added and support services for FOSS. These include software integration, consultancy, maintenance, security updates, training, etc.

FOSS offers immense benefits such as lower costs, better security and reliability, freedom from vendor lock-in, ability to customise software as per requirement and improved development velocity by allowing developers to incrementally build on existing solutions.

Government solutions built at population scale such as the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) have also benefitted immensely from the use of FOSS, allowing them to employ a modular architecture and save taxpayer funds otherwise spent on licensing fees for proprietary software solutions. However, despite government procurement guidelines requiring adoption of open source for all e-governance systems, implementation of the same has been poor.

Given its nature as a public good, very often the economic value of FOSS is not given due attention. FOSS also faces several challenges such as intellectual property infringement claims, lack of incentives to sustain contributions for development, maintenance and support, and pushback from proprietary software firms.

Project Overview

This study aims to evaluate the impact of FOSS in India by gaining insights into why, how and to what extent organisations are adopting FOSS; factors considered while evaluating different types of software solutions; and the benefits and challenges experienced by virtue of adopting FOSS. Additionally, it aims to capture the economic impact or value addition provided by FOSS in terms of acquisition and operating costs as compared to its alternatives.

The study would be conducted with four types of organisations in India. They are start-ups, non-profits, medium size firms and large firms. Organisations in four sectors — Finance; Software and IT Services; Healthcare and Education; in addition to some public sector entities are considered for this study.

Project Components:

• Data: The data gathered through this study is expected to help in better identifying the extent of FOSS usage in different sectors and the economic impact of FOSS.
• Case studies: The semi-structured interviews conducted as part of the study will help in developing a robust set of case studies.

Expected Output

The project aims to publish the findings in the form of a report, and it will highlight patterns of engagement and experience with FOSS in India. It will also make policy recommendations for augmenting FOSS contributions and adoption in India.

Duration

This is a six-month project and we aim to release the report by January 2025.

Read FOSS Report here

In 2020, NLSIU identified five focus areas where it will develop new interdisciplinary research clusters. These focus areas are: Labour and Work; Climate Justice; State Design and Reform; Access to Justice & Legal System Reform and Law, Technology and Society.

In 2021, we are excited to announce the launch of the Law, Technology and Society cluster with the support of Ms. Rohini Nilekani, Founder-Chairperson of Arghyam, Co-Founder and Director of EkStep and a philanthropist who has committed to the Giving Pledge. This research cluster will integrate the work of faculty and researchers in law and public policy at NLSIU as well as others from leading institutions in science, technology and management.

The cluster will focus on:

• Researching: on interdisciplinary and original empirical research that allows India to develop regulatory strategies and legal frameworks that respond to Indian and developing country contexts. Our researchers will engage with national and international law and policy making to ensure that these concerns shape and influence norm building.
• Convening: diverse interests and voices affected by law and regulatory changes in this field that may be overlooked in current policy debates. We will re-engage with existing networks, and create new ones with affected communities, civil society groups, academic institutions and business entities in India and around the world.
• Doing: designing and building innovative products and platforms for the public good. These initiatives could include new tools for public information and engagement, pilot projects and experimental governance frameworks for new technologies.

On the announcement, Ms. Rohini Nilekani said, “To address some of our most critical and complex problems, we need to imagine approaches that centre both the individual and the system. Increasingly, such approaches are technology-enabled to create spaces where diverse solutions co-exist to work in context. However, there needs to be a horizontal underpinning of values that ensure the technologies and frameworks deployed achieve certain clear societal goals, such as universal access and inclusion. For that, we must surely be technology enabled, but not technology led. I am pleased that NLSIU is undertaking an interdisciplinary approach for this initiative, and hope it will foster many collaborations.”

On the significance of the initiative, Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice Chancellor of NLSIU said, “We are grateful to Ms Rohini Nilekani and her team for their confidence in NLSIU’s ability to initiate and anchor this initiative. NLSIU has historically contributed tremendously to India’s technology ecosystem. We’ve supported research and policy development in collaboration with the government, provided human capital and professional services to India’s entrepreneurs and thought leaders in civil society and public interest advocacy groups in this field. This grant will help us grow and ensure that we continue to perform these roles in the 21st century.”

In April 2022, NLSIU announced a research project on issues in pre-trial processes in India. The project, supported by Thakur Foundation, is being led by Dr. Mrinal Satish, Professor of Law, NLSIU.

The project focuses on two broad themes – excessive pre-trial detention, and the scope and implementation of search and seizure provisions in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Cr.P.C) and special criminal statutes. In the context of excessive pre-trial detention, the project will study the extent of unnecessary arrests, and bail related issues. When dealing with search and seizure, it will focus on the impact that quasi-criminal statutes have had on the criminal justice process, and also the emerging issue of search of digital devices. The two-year project will culminate into a comprehensive research report, which will then be converted into a series of academic publications.

About the Project

In examining the question of excessive pre-trial detention, the project will focus on studying and documenting issues such as the nature of offences for which arrests are made, compliance with the Arnesh Kumar guidelines, bail conditions, the use and impact of plea bargaining, among others. On search and seizure, the project will focus on studying, and documenting the implementation and effectiveness of safeguards and protocols to be followed in conducting searches and seizures, the application of search-related protocols and safeguards to searches of digital devices, and the impact of the jurisprudence relating to special criminal statutes on the Cr.P.C.

There has been considerable discussion on pre-trial processes, bail law, plea bargaining, and search and seizures over the last couple of decades. The Law Commission of India in its 268th Report made various recommendations relating to bail law, and multiple judgments of the Supreme Court of India have also focused on reducing unnecessary arrests, and reducing excessive pre-trial detention. This project aims to study issues relating to pre-trial processes from a jurisprudential and comparative lens, and also empirically document implementation of laws, thereby contributing to the literature and discussions on criminal procedure.

NLSIU has embarked on a three-year collaboration with the Chair for Comparative and Public Law, Humboldt University, Berlin under the Indo-German Partnership in Higher Education (IGP) programme of the University Grants Commission, in collaboration with DAAD. Founded in 1925, The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) is the German support organisation in the field of international academic cooperation.

Titled ‘Law and Transformation: Opening Conversations between India and Germany,’ the project will touch upon multiple legal themes including constitutional and administrative law, intellectual property rights, economic laws, among others. Under the grant approved by the UGC, the programme establishes a four-year joint research and academic exchange between the two partner institutions, initiating a comparative dialogue on law and transformation in India and Germany.

Faculty Incharge: Dr. Aparna Chandra

Some of the activities under this grant during 2022-23 are as follows:

• Student Exchange (from Humboldt University to NLSIU): NLSIU hosted 7 undergraduate students and 3 PhD scholars from HU in the 2022-23 academic year.
• Student Exchange (from NLSIU to Humboldt University): NLS funded 4 PhD scholars to spend two months each at HU. The scholars are associated with the Chair on Comparative Law headed by Prof. Philipp Dann, and are required to undertake their research, as well as any other academic obligations as directed by the Chair. These scholars were selected after a competitive process, and their projects will all benefit from the time spent researching and writing at Humboldt University.
• Faculty Exchange: NLS funded three faculty exchanges with HU for 2022-23. Each faculty member spends up to two months at HU, working closely with the Chair on Comparative Law headed by Prof. Philipp Dann, undertaking their research, participating in the weekly research colloquia at the Chair, presenting their work at the Chair, holding a workshop/teaching a short course for students at HU, and overall participating in the intellectual life at the Chair. Two faculty members have already participated in the exchange, and another one is scheduled to participate later this year.
• Young Scholars Workshop: NLS hosted a Young Scholars Workshop in March 2023. This workshop brought together Indian and German doctoral scholars to discuss their projects and receive feedback on their papers.

The National Survey of Extra-Judicial Deaths is an ongoing project supported by the Thakur Family Foundation. Mr. Pranav Verma (Assistant Professor (Law), NLSIU) is Principal Investigator on the project alongside Ms. Mangla Verma and Mr. Vipul Kumar (Advocates, and Convenors of the Youth for Human Rights Documentation – a civil rights group of lawyers and researchers based in Delhi). Initiated in 2022, the project aims to identify gaps in extra-judicial deaths jurisprudence through substantive evidence-based research, and advocate for a judicial review of the existing guidelines framed by the Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission.

As part of the project, extensive state-wide information has been collected across 20-23 states and voluminous investigation records pertaining to several investigations into extra-judicial deaths have been analysed. These include FIR copies, magisterial inquiry reports, post-mortem reports, NHRC recommendations and orders, etc. The aim is to present a quantitative survey looking at nation-wide statistics on extra-judicial deaths, and also a qualitative analysis based on investigation records into individual cases.

The project proposes to publish an interim report by September 2024, looking at the practice and investigation of police encounters across states from 1997 to May 2024. It will critically analyse existing legal framework and accountability mechanisms. Upon consultations with several stakeholders based on the interim report, the project aims to make its final findings publicly available.

About the Project

Since September 2022, the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) is participating in a three-year long research project titled ‘Pluralist Agreement and Constitutional Transformation’ (PACT). This project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and looks at rethinking the making of constitutions in divided societies. 

The project is led by Prof. Rochana Bajpai, SOAS as principal investigator with Prof. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, NLSIU as the co-investigator. Other co-investigators are Dr. Nicholas Cole, University of Oxford, Dr. Udit Bhatia, University of York, and Mr. Vineeth Krishna, the Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR), Bangalore.

Over the course of the project, NLSIU’s research team will engage in research; writing academic papers and blog posts; participating and organising workshops/ training programmes with various stakeholders from the judiciary, academia and civil society; evaluating impact of the PACT project; and participating in a summative conference and policy dialogue.  

Project Proposal

The PACT project will create an advanced digital platform on the making of the Indian constitution (1950). The Indian Constituent Assembly (1946-49) met against the background of transfer of power from the British, partition, Hindu-Muslim blood-shed, and the largest mass migration in history. It is during these challenges and disagreements along the lines of religion, caste and linguistic differences that the constitution was drafted, a document that continues to shape contemporary politics.

This research will aim to draw lessons regarding the democratic legitimacy of constitutions from the Indian example, while analysing its unfulfilled potential for pluralism and democracy in the present. The research also aims to shed light on the role of collective practices of petition, debate, and protest by citizens and the marginalized in the making of constitutions, and their remaking over time.

Using the methodologies and software developed at Pembroke College by the Quill Project, the project will create an extensive digital record of the proceedings from 1946 to 1949 that led to the formation of the Indian constitution. Alongside these plenary debates of the Indian Constituent Assembly, the project will also include committee discussions, petitions, public responses and the wider debate of the period. This broad collection of sources will allow further study into the context of public opinion against which the Indian constitution was authored. 

Upcoming events

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) will host a conference on August 1st to 3rd 2024 in Bengaluru under the project. The conference will include research presentations by the PACT investigators and invited scholars, a keynote address, and a workshop for law clerks on using the PACT developed platforms for research on the constitution. 

Recent events

1. Constitution and National Unity | Theme I: 75th Year of the Constitution – The Government of Karnataka hosted a two-day international conference titled ‘Constitution and National Unity’ on February 24 and 25, 2024, in Bengaluru, to commemorate 75 years of the Indian Constitution. NLSIU anchored Theme I (The 75th Year of the Indian Constitution) of the conference.
2. Lecture by Dr. Udit Bhatia | Funding Democracy: A Radical Alternative – The National Law School hosted Dr Bhatia on his research visit where he presented his work on the funding of election campaigns on December 19, 2023.
3. Book Discussion | Dr. Mathew John’s ‘India’s Communal Constitution: Law, Religion, and the Making of a People’ – The National Law School hosted PACT’s first in person book discussion on December 21, 2023.
4. Book Discussion | Achyut Chetan’s ‘Founding Mothers of the Indian Republic – Aishwarya Birla, research associate for PACT, acted as a book discussant on November 1, 2023.
5. Workshop 13-14th July 2023 – University of Oxford – Prof. Sudhir Krishnaswamy and Vineeth Krishna presented on new quantitative approaches to understanding borrowing in constitutional text and drafting processes in India.
6. 119th APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition, August 31 – September 3, 2023 – Prof. Sudhir Krishnaswamy presented a draft paper looking at new quantitative approaches to understanding borrowing in constitutional text and drafting processes in India. 

In March 2022, NLSIU commenced a two-year project on Public Health and the Indian Constitution with the objective of analyzing the contemporary public health themes at the helm intersection of law and health. The project supported by Thakur Foundation aims to evaluate the constitutional framework within which the duties, powers and limitations of the government on public health are debated and scrutinized by the courts.

The project entails a survey of leading cases from the Supreme Court of India and the State High Courts on the constitutionality of public health regulations, programmes and policies in India, and the interaction of public health with fundamental rights, directive principles of state policy and the federal structure of the Constitution of India.

The scope of examination will include public health themes such as access to medicines, availability and affordability of healthcare services, discrimination in access to healthcare facilities, compulsory vaccinations, digitization and privacy concerns, nutrition support, control of harmful substances and prohibition of their advertisements of harmful substances, regulation of drugs and medical devices, regulation of professions, compulsory bonds, impact of emerging technologies, rare diseases and the extent of state responsibility.

The two-year project will culminate into a compendium of edited cases and materials including critical comments on issues of public health and the Indian constitution.

Project Investigator: Prof. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice-Chancellor, NLSIU
Team: Ms. Nanditta Batra, Assistant Professor of Law, NLSIU, and Kiran Suryanarayana, Academic fellow