Committed to reforming legal education and the pursuit of academic excellence, NLSIU places significant emphasis on legal and policy research. Research at NLSIU is primarily carried out through its Centres, Chairs, multi-year research projects, and through individual faculty initiatives. The University’s specialised research centres have been repeatedly called upon to shape laws and improve implementation in intellectual property, child rights, and environmental laws, among many others. The Research Policy of the University is available here.
In 2020, NLSIU identified five focus areas where it will develop new interdisciplinary research clusters:
- Labour and Work
- Climate Justice
- State Capacity and Reform
- Access to Justice & Legal System Reform
- Law, Technology and Society
In Focus
Health Law
Research Entities
Centres
NLSIU’s research centres anchor original and deep research on a broad range of critical areas. They also form nodes through which faculty, students and scholars publicly engage on these issues to inform, educate and help shape reform measures. From human rights and gender equality to leading environmental law research and emerging issues on law and technology, NLSIU’s research centres continue to engage with and impact key societal concerns in every decade.
Chairs
Research Chairs at NLS aim to advance knowledge in their respective fields through original inquiry, promotion of academic debate and dissemination of the latest research and findings. They play a critical role in strengthening the teaching, research and training capabilities of the University as a whole.
Projects & Grants
Continuing our research efforts, NLSIU has entered into a slew of collaborations both at the local and international level. This is in addition to the various projects undertaken by our research Centres and Chairs. We hope to initiate more such collaborations in the coming months and bring together scholars and researchers from across India and around the world to produce innovative and relevant outcomes through our research.
Journals
NLS is home to several interdisciplinary journals that have carried articles by leading scholars and experts over the years, and been cited by the Supreme Court on several occasions. The journals have a commitment to open access and the promotion of legal writing, and occupy an important space in legal academia in India.
Publications
A Ban Rewrites Rules of India’s Online Play
September 23, 2025
India has the world’s second-largest internet population. Alongside this surge in users, the country has witnessed rapid growth in e-sports, social gaming, and real-money platforms, including rummy and poker. The Promotion and Regulation of Online…
Women in the Karnataka State Police Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities
September 23, 2025
This report presents findings from an assessment conducted by a project at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) on the status and role of policewomen in Karnataka. In May 2022, NLSIU entered a…
Karnataka’s New Devadasi Bill Ushers An Era of Legal Precarity for the Gender Diverse Jogappa Community
September 11, 2025
“The Karnataka Devadasi Bill 2025, while abolishing dedication practices, reinforces cis-normativity and creates potential legal precarity for the gender-diverse Jogappa community. The result is cultural erasure and the undoing of constitutional guarantees to gender plurality,”…
Gig Work Legislations Significant In Opening The Space For Labour Protection
September 10, 2025
Compared to the Union government’s social security code, the state gig work legislations go further by not just providing a framework, but also regulating certain aspects of conditions of work, says Saurabh Bhattacharjee. Views expressed…