Law campuses shut down in the wake of coronavirus threat
In the wake of an outbreak of COVID-19 in India, various law colleges and campuses have suspended classes and are encouraging self-quarantining for students and trying to minimise face-to-face contact amongst students, teachers and staff members. Events, competitions and seminars due across campuses stand suspended till further notice.
Following a UGC advisory the National Law Institute University (NLIU), BhopaL, Maharashtra National Law University Aurangabad, NLU Ranchi, NLSUI Bangalore, CNLU Patna, HPNLU Shimla, ICFAI Law School Dehradun, NLU-Odisha, etc have either suspended classes till further notice or have issued guidelines to minimise contagion.
Amity University has called off all face-to-face classroom activities until March 31. Instead they have arranged for online classes. However, its faculties and staff would continue to observe normal working hours until further notice.
Jamia Milia Islamia University has directed its teachers to make the study material available online and has issued an advisory to minimise face-to-face contact. The schedule for University examination remains the same in Jamia. National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal has not only been shut down until further orders but the examinations have also been cancelled.
Students of the Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur were told to leave the University premises within a day. The University further issued a notice saying that it would resume classes once it was sure about its preparedness to deal with the corona outbreak. On March 10, the Kerala government ordered a partial lockdown in the state to curb the outbreak. Following which the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi suspended its classes as all educational institutions were directed to be closed until March 31. As the classes remain suspended various events also have been postponed.
“The NUJS International Conference on Criminal Justice Administration: Emerging Issues in 21st Century which is scheduled to be held during March 20-22, 2020, has been postponed due to the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in the country. The postponed dates will be announced in due course of time. Inconvenience caused is regretted,” read a notification by the university.
“On account of health concerns over the outbreak of COVID-19 in India, the University has taken the tough decision to postpone the 2nd NLUJ Deal Mediation Competition (previously scheduled to be held from March 19-22, 2020) to August 20-23, 2020,” read an NLU Jodhpur notification.
A workshop on blockchain technology and e-governance scheduled on March 14, 2020, at the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) through its Centre for Law and Technology in collaboration with the government of Gujarat has been deferred till further notice.
Following the UGC notification dated March 5, instructing students to minimise large gatherings on campus and to control any activities that might trigger further spread of the novel coronavirus, law campuses across India are taking such steps to ensure healthy campuses. Sudden outbreak of COVID-19 highlights the preparedness of campuses to deal with an emergency situation.
It also points at the need for more online classes as well as the availability of technical infrastructure across campuses in India to facilitate such classes.
NLUO invites submissions for its volume on androcentrism and gender inequalities
National Law University Odisha (NLUO) Centre for Women & Law has invited contributions for its edited volume on “Socio-Legal Androcentrism and Gender Inequalities”.
Centre for Women & Law at NLUO proposes to bring out an edited volume with a multidisciplinary approach on “Socio-legal Androcentrism and Gender Inequalities”. Objective of the proposed book is to contribute in the dismantling of the metanarrative of patriarchy which relegates women to the ‘second sex’ and hinges their existence relative to the men. Androcentrism and metanarrative of patriarchy has traditionally influenced and shaped social behaviours, norms and cultural outlook.
The authors can submit on themes like patriarchal metanarrative and gender inequalities, epistemology of gender, modernism, post-modernism and gender, third and fourth wave of feminism gender stereotypes and its impact on socio-legal perception of gender, law and gender inequalities, customary practices and gender discrimination, religious personal law and gender discrimination and so on. Last date of submission is June 30, 2020.
NLSIU calls for paper for JELPD
The Journal for Environmental Law Policy and Development (JELPD), published yearly by the Centre for Environmental Law Education, Research and Advocacy, National Law School of India University (NLSIU), has invited authors to send their contributions for Volume-vii. 2020. The JELPD is now UGC-CARE certified (2019).
Authors can contribute short articles, long articles, book reviews and case comments. The contributions are invited on a broad theme of Environmental Law Governance and Jurisprudence: Contemporary issues and challenges. The authors are requested to send their submissions on or before April 10. The selected authors will be notified by April 20.
—Compiled by Nupur Dogra
Lead picture: UNI