Study Circles

Study circles are one of the core activities taken up by the Law and Society Committee.  The members of the Law and Society Committee believe that Study Circles are not only instrumental in spreading awareness, but also act as discussion forums for people with diverse viewpoints to come and share the same.

Over the past trimester the study circles that were conducted witnessed massive participation both from the student community as well as the faculty. Current topics of national interest were chosen for discussion and analysis. Background readings for these topics were sent in advance. The quality of interaction not only increased the knowledge of those who participated, but also brought about innovative suggestions to solve various issues of common concern with respect to the topic of the study circle.

The first study circle was taken up to commemorate the Global Hiroshima and Nagasaki Day. The topic was ‘Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010 and More’. Issues such as constitutionality of the Nuclear Liability Bill, trans-border liability in case of nuclear accidents in light of the low insurance perineum policy of the government, powers and functions of the Nuclear Damage Claims Commissions along with the status of the Nuclear Liability Bill vis-à-vis the international practice were discussed. After a healthy discussion this study circle was concluded with a series of open ended questions such as:

·         Whether there is a possibility to have an insurance pool for nuclear damages in the current bill?

·          Is the government’s claim to use tax payers’ money for compensating the victims of a nuclear accident justified?

·         Should India necessarily adhere to the international norms on nuclear liability?

·         Is there a well defined liability in case a disaster occurs during the transportation of the technology and nuclear fuel, in the current Bill?

·         Who entails liability for damage that may be caused as a result of storage of nuclear waste?

The second study circle was conducted over the burning issue of ‘Violence in Kashmir’. A background talk regarding the history of the entire issue was given by J. Sonal, after which an active discussion was initiated by Nausheen, a student from Kashmir, currently in Ist year L.L.M, who shared her insights over the political damp in the area leading to intense problems and human rights violations being faced by the people of Kashmir. Further, valuable inputs were given by Manish G, who is currently involved in a human rights group working towards the cause of people in Kashmir. A debate was witnessed over several issues such as,

·         Whether AFSPA should be repealed in entirety or should the army be kept in certain border lying areas of the region?

·         Whether the separatist demands led out by political factions in Kashmir should be adhered to?

·         Whether abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is a solution to bring about peace in Kashmir? And finally,

·         What role should the centre adopt for bringing about peace in the region?

For a deeper analysis of the topic, the study circle was extended to further discussion, led by showcasing of a documentary on the issue. We are thankful to Mr. Khalid Wasim (researcher ISEC) for giving us his  time and providing us with valuable information and deep insights over the situation that is in reality prevailing in the Kashmir valley.

The third study circle covered the issue of “Naxalism” in detail. Over a healthy debate amongst some faculty members and the students we got a picture of the entire issue. The discussion began by an introductory talk by Bodhisatta Biswas, continued by J. Sonal and Kunal Ambasta who gave us important information regarding the history of Naxalism, the political maneuvers of the leaders of this movement as well as the ideology followed by the people who are tagged as Naxalists, respectively. This was followed by Vrinda Bhandari initiating a discussion over Salwa Judam and the pros and cons of such a state led mechanism. Thereafter, the discussion was taken over by the entire group discussing various important issues such as:

·         What exactly defines the peasantry ideology?

·         What led to the failure of Naxalism in big cities such as Calcutta, whereas evidence of support for the movement from smaller villages have been found?

·          Where has the state failed? Is there a solution to curb the problem?

·         Can Naxalists be tagged as insurgents? If yes what exactly is the definition of insurgency?

After a long debate the study circle ended leaving each participant deliberating over, weather injustice is indeed the order, in relation to the given issue and whether disorder is something that can in reality bring about the order of justice or not.

We thank all enthusiastic participants of the study circles that have been conducted so far to have made the discussions extremely lively and fruitful.  An active support from the faculty as well as large participation (especially from first year) has encouraged us greatly to take up several issues for the coming trimesters. This trimester onwards we intend to not only hold our typical study circles, thereby making the quad livelier, but also club them with documentaries, mainstream movies and talks by experts on the issue to help us build a better perspective and further generate awareness.  We also invite you to suggest topics for discussion, thereby supporting us to take these study circles to a new level altogether