NLSIU Faculty Dr. Vijayamba R is a co-investigator in a project titled “Bus, benefits and beyond: A comprehensive study of transport equity through Karnataka’s Shakti Scheme.” The project is the recipient of Directorate of Urban Land Transport, Urban Development Department, Government of Karnataka’s annual research program (ASPIRE-02/2025), that aims at conducting studies for identified priority research areas in the field of urban mobility. The collaborators for the project are Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), National Law School of India University (NLSIU), and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE).

Project Description

The Shakti scheme of the Karnataka government is a new addition to a long list of cities implementing fare-free public transport (FFPT). The philosophy of distributive justice serves as the underlying philosophy, which refers to providing fair access to civic resources, including public transport. Despite the popularity, the impacts of the scheme – benefits, biases and barriers – are often unaccounted for, invisible, and disconnected.

This project will evaluate the Shakti scheme both from a demand (user) perspective and a supply (transport personnel) perspective. In the first phase of studying user perspective, apart from the obvious affordability component of the Shakti scheme, this project will employ the 4As framework (accessibility, availability, acceptability and affordability) to understand their experiences comprehensively. In the second phase, the study will focus on the supply (transport personnel) perspective through focus group discussions at bus depots and related offices. Through these two phases, the study will capture the scheme’s invisible, unaccounted and disparate impact on bus users and society at large.

This research project has chosen four field sites to capture the diversity in user experience, geography and service provision. The four field sites are Mysuru (Tier II), Hubli (Tier II), Kalaburagi (Tier II) and Karwar (Tier III). The study categorises bus users into three intersectional categories, based on age and purpose of travel. 1) younger adults (18 to 25 years) accessing higher education; 2) middle-aged adults (18 to 60 years) in the workforce 3) Older adults (60& above) accessing healthcare. This project aims to employ a state-of-the-art combination of quantitative, qualitative, and geo-spatial methods. The quantitative methods include structured, in-person, researcher-administered surveys for the three cohorts. Qualitative methods using in-depth interviews for a purposive sample will be administered to understand the experiences of access and barriers in detail and their perceptions about the scheme. Focus group discussion will be conducted to understand the range of perceptions, opinions and experiences of transport personnel. The outputs of the project include capacity building, workshops for research personnel, analysis, popular media pieces and reports.

Duration

The project started in September 2025 and is for a period of one year.

Team

The project team constitutes expertise spanning urban sociology, gender studies, transport geography, and public health.

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Prajwal Nagesh (from MIDS), an expert in urban sociology and transport geography with over six years of experience in researching urban mobility through accessing public transportation in South Asia, will lead the project.

Co-Investigators:

• Dr. Vijayamba R (from NLSIU), a development economist, will assess the economic ripple effects of the Shakti Scheme, including its influence on the labour market participation. Her expertise on gender, labour and large-scale data will contribute to the quantitative method of the study.
• Dr. Selim Jahangir (from MAHE), a human geography expert in gender and urban studies, will lead the qualitative research component.
• Dr. Divya Sussana Patil (from MAHE), a public health expert in ageing, healthcare access, and evidence synthesis, will lead the impact of the Shakti scheme on healthcare access components.

In 2022, the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), undertook a research project to set up a Centre of Excellence. This project, funded by the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD, Government of Karnataka), aims to address the issue of violence perpetrated against women and aid in understanding, preventing, and reducing its impact.

Women-centric services in Karnataka, such as the Women Help Line, One Stop Centres, Santhwana Centres run by NGOs, and others, are already working to support women. However, their sustained efforts have not mitigated all challenges in adequate measure as women continue to face violence and discrimination in all domains of life–social, professional, domestic, etc. In the purview of these deficiencies, the Government of Karnataka has identified the need for a Centre of Excellence, which can not only guide existing services but also devise a plan for improved and focused policy solutions. The Centre will strive to investigate and understand Karnataka’s specific problems in a nuanced and systemic way. It will combine training, research, and policy with an interdisciplinary approach to come up with modules, models of services, and progressive programs to combat violence against women.

It is important to set up such a Centre for Excellence that can guide all government agencies in implementing laws, which promise protection and justice to women. Once support is institutionalised and made a part of the system, justice may no longer be a distant dream for women facing violence.

Project Overview

The project aims to aid the Karnataka State Government in achieving development indicators of gender justice and equality. Various support systems established by the government work round the clock to protect women from different kinds of violence. But these mechanisms can deliver meaningful services only if they get timely guidance, training, and resource support.

While NIMHANS has adopted an intersectional approach to particularly focus on providing mental health and psychosocial support to women facing violence; the Centre for Women and the Law at NLSIU is working to feed their findings into policy with the hope of driving innovative and efficient programs and making justice accessible for women in Karnataka.

Main components

Research under the project will involve organised brainstorming sessions to develop the methodology for data collection and the training of various functionaries who provide relief to women facing violence. The main components of the project include:

• Collecting data and identifying gaps
• Developing training modules
• Training stakeholders working for the state government towards implementing laws against violence on women
• Assisting in legal counselling
• Collating inputs for policy documents on areas covered in the modules

Duration

This is a 3-year project that started in 2023. The research began in earnest in 2024 and is likely to continue into 2026.

Resources

The project has developed two training modules. These include a module for stakeholders working on the issue of acid attack and another one on the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. These are currently under review and yet to be finalised. The Centre will also present a comprehensive field report.

NLSIU Team

1) Dr. Sarasu Esther Thomas
Professor of Law and Co-coordinator (CoE Project), CWL, NLSIU
Email:

Prof Sarasu is currently on lien from NLS as she has taken over as the Director, Manipal Law School. Bengaluru.

2) Ms. Sumitra
Lawyer, CoE Project, CWL, NLSIU
Email:

Exploring Digital Transformation of India’s Consumer Grievance Redressal System through GenAI | 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 (NLSIU), Bengaluru, is partnering with the International Bar Association (IBA) to undertake a research project examining the representation of women in the legal profession with a focus on and evaluating the effectiveness of gender-focussed workplace initiatives in Indian law firms.

Project Overview

Across the globe, and notably in India, the legal profession continues to face challenges related to gender parity, the retention of women lawyers, and the implementation of meaningful gender-sensitive workplace policies. This research project aims to generate empirical data and analytical insights that highlight these issues within the context of Indian law firms.

The ultimate objective is to develop a comprehensive report that summarises and analyses survey findings, providing a clear understanding of the representation of women in Indian law firms. This project is being supported through funding from the IBA.

Key Components

NLSIU’s primary responsibility in this project is to provide research inputs on the status and representation of women in India’s legal profession. The research will encompass the following tasks:

• Identifying and confirming a list of law firms to be approached for survey participation, in consultation with the IBA.
• Reviewing the IBA’s existing survey questions and recommending country-specific adjustments to ensure relevance and clarity.
• Distributing the survey to the selected law firms, conducting necessary follow-ups, and facilitating communication on behalf of the IBA.
• Undertaking original research on gender equality and women’s experiences in Indian law firms, to inform and enrich the final report.
• Compiling survey findings and research insights into a final report for submission to the IBA.

Duration

The duration of the project will be 9 months starting November 2025.

Team

The following faculty members will be involved in the research and preparation of the report:

• Harsha N, Assistant Professor, NLSIU and Faculty-in-Charge, IBA-CLE Professorial Chair on Continuing Legal Education
• Keertana Venkatesh, Assistant Professor, NLSIU
• Isha Ahlawat, Assistant Professor, NLSIU

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. 

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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