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
More than a Chief Minister: Shibu Soren shouldn’t be measured by his ‘political success’
August 5, 2025
This article reflects on the passing of Shibu Soren, fondly remembered as Dishom Guru, a towering figure in Jharkhand’s Adivasi movement. It traces his role in transforming grassroots resistance into a broad-based political struggle for statehood…
The Silenced Struggles of Transmen
August 4, 2025
Globally, transmen face structural erasure—not only due to their gender-diverse identities, but also because they were born in female bodies, traditionally viewed as inferior. Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author…
Tamil Nadu’s Journey From Social Justice Towards ‘(Dis)Honour Killings
August 2, 2025
[with Hugo Gorringe] Tamil Nadu has a proud history of politics committed to social justice. Failure to act decisively against the scourge of caste-violence and so-called honour-killings, contributes to the perception that egalitarian commitments have…
Instrumentalizing The University: The Principles Underlying Higher Education Regulation at India’s Founding
August 1, 2025
The contemporary literature on Indian universities is rife with discontent about academic freedom. Apart from attacks within and outside the university on the production and dissemination of knowledge, the state has systematically undermined institutional autonomy…