11th Annual International Research Conference-Rule of Law in Context: Globalisation and Indian Resonances to Sustainable Development Goals

New Delhi [India], May 24: Symbiosis Law School, Pune hosted the 11th Annual International Research Conference on Rule of Law in Context: Globalisation and Indian Resonances to Sustainable Development Goals (SYMROLIC 2023) on May 5-6, 2023. The conference was organized in association with SLS NOIDA, SLS Hyderabad, and SLS Nagpur. The conference was inaugurated by Prof. (Dr.) Shashikala Gurpur, Director of Symbiosis Law School, Pune. The conference abstract compilation was released by Prof. (Dr.) Purvi Pokhariyal, Dean of the School of Law, Forensic Justice and Policy Studies, National Forensic Sciences University, along with other dignitaries.

A video screening was presented to provide an overview of the Symbiosis Centre for International and Comparative Child Rights Law. Subsequently, Prof. (Dr.) Asha Bajpai, an expert in International Child Rights and Professor at TISS, Mumbai, inaugurated the Centre virtually via the Zoom platform. Prof. (Dr.) Purvi Pokhariyal delivered the Chief Guest’s address on the theme of ‘Legal Road to SDG’.

The conference featured a number of plenary sessions and panel discussions on a variety of topics related to the rule of law, globalization, and sustainable development goals. The conference also included a number of paper presentations by scholars from around the world.

The 11th Annual International Research Conference on Rule of Law in Context: Globalisation and Indian Resonances to Sustainable Development Goals (SYMROLIC 2023) was a valuable opportunity for scholars to come together and discuss the latest research on these important topics. The conference also provided a platform for scholars to network and collaborate on future projects.

The theme of the plenary session was “Legal Pathways to Sustainable Development Goals: Global and Indian Perspectives.” Prof. (Dr.) Shashikala Gurpur, Director of Symbiosis Law School, Pune and Dean of Faculty of Law, SIU, traced the interdependence and evolution of global goals from the MDGs. Dr MK Ramesh, Professor at NLSIU Bangalore and Chair Professor of Urban Poor and the Law, discussed the role of Indian Constitutional Vision in achieving SDGs, highlighting the impact of Make in India on enterprise and global demand. Prof. (Dr.) Purvi Pokhariyal, Director of National Forensic Science University, stressed the need for a societal approach to SDGs and the role of sensitization in localizing SDGs. Dr Asha Bajpai, International Child Rights Expert at TISS, Mumbai, focused on child rights and SDGs, especially for disabled children, gender equality, and child marriage. She suggested a convergence between RTE Act and PWD Act to attain SDGs.

Prof. (Dr.) Yogesh Patil, Head of Research Publications at SCRI, led the Workshop Session on “Choosing the Right Journal and Writing to Suit a Journal”. He discussed research metrics, objectives, components, journal selection, theory understanding, SIU publication standards, academic and technical writing, review process, publishing challenges, common errors, result analysis, and his publication mantra, “Publish Good Mantras or Perish.” He ended with quality indicators and a practical exercise on citations and indexes.

Track 1, on Law and Human Behavior, covered topics like poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, and legal systems. The panel included Dr YSR Murthy, Dr Santosh Aghav, and Prof. (Dr) K I Vibhute. Fourteen presenters shared their papers and received feedback. Samara Sahu (SLS-P) and Shivaramakrishnan M. and Kaustubh Balaji (Sastra University) won the track and runner-up prizes.

Track 2, on Business, Trade, Commerce, Management and Law, had panelists Prof. (Dr.) KVS Sharma, Prof. (Dr.) Indrajit Dubey, and Prof. Lindsay Trotman. Seven papers were presented and reviewed by the panel. Yash Singh Naruka and Prerna Singh (NUSRL, Ranchi) and Ashish Vinod Naik and Sanskruti Mahale (SLS-P) were the track winner and runner-up.

Track 3 focused on International Law, Policy, and Governance, covering topics like climate change, international migration, global inequalities, and legal empowerment. The panel included Dr Suhas Tuljapurkar, Prof. (Dr.) Sanoj Rajan, and Prof. Dr John Quigley. Fourteen presenters shared their papers and received feedback. Akshay Triloki Nath (JNU) and Hardik Jain and Rishi Khemnani (SLS-P) won the track and runner-up prizes.

Track 4 centered on EU Climate Justice Law, Governance, Management and Policy, addressing issues like Climate Change, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Community, Corporate Compliances, and SDG Lawyering. The panel had Dr Prakash Rao and Dr Przemyslaw Tacik. Eight presenters presented their papers and got feedback. Sridattha Charan, Dr. Aparajita Mohanty, Dr. Sujata Arya and Yash (SLS-P) and Vindhya Gupta (SLS-P) were the track winner and runner-up.

Track 5 explored Innovation, Science, Technology and Law, covering areas like Affordable and Clean Energy, AI, Healthcare, Data Science, Law Tech, Green Technology, Alternative Energy, IT Law, Cyber Forensics, Data Protection, Blockchain, Digital Currency, IOT, Cloud Computing, Fake News Laws, IP Laws, AI and IP, Patenting Nanotechnology, Traditional Knowledge, Biodiversity, and SDG Lawyering. The panel included Prof. (Dr.) Naresh Kumar Vats, Adv Puneet Bhasin, and Dr Saurabh Chandra. Seventeen presenters showcased their papers and got feedback. Akshay Chugh, Dr Shirish Kulkarni and Sangramjit Chavan (SLS-P) and Prof. Jivantika Gulati and Radha Ranjan (SLS-P) were the track winner and runner-up.

Track 6 focused on Public Law, Society and Governance, covering topics like Decent Work and Economic Growth, Public Health, Constitutionalism, Governance and Environment, Life Below Water, Life on Land, Peace and Justice Strong Institutions, Dispute Resolution, Mental Health Law, Access to medicine, Patient’s rights, Food Security, Poverty, Conserving the Earth, and SDG Lawyering.

The panel included Prof. (Dr.) Nirmal Kanti Chakraborti and Prof. Kris Gledhill. Nine presenters shared their papers and received feedback. Aradome Belai Khan (SLS-P) and Aradhya Bindal and SM Aamir Ali(SLS-P) won the track and runner-up prizes.

Dr Satya Sundar Shetty, Associate Professor at IIT Madras, led a workshop on “Integrating Indian Philosophy into Research” (Under ERASMUS+CBHE Project co-funded by EU). The session was interactive and lively, with participants discussing various issues of law and order with Indian philosophical traditions.

The Valedictory Ceremony of SYMROLIC 2023 was attended by Prof. (Dr.) Shashikala Gurpur, Director of SLS-P and Dean of Faculty of Law, SIU, Dr Aparajita Mohanty, Deputy Director (Academics), and Prof. (Dr.) Bindu Ronald, Professor of Law, SLS-P. Prof. Gurpur highlighted the importance of parallel research and suggested expanding the research domain and integrating law and technology. She stressed on the rule of law context and the dynamic dimension of the legal domain. She congratulated the organizers on the success of SYMROLIC 2023, citing an increase in papers (68) and abstracts (115) received this time. She concluded by stating that SYMROLIC is a fusion of ideas that explore new research avenues.

The ceremony continued with the prize distribution and selection of papers for publication after blind peer review. The conference ended with a vote of thanks by Dr Mohanty.

To know more visit https://www.symlaw.ac.in/