Law College Dehradun organized its ‘1st National Online Lecture Series’ from 20th May to 25th May 2020 on “Contemporary Legal Topics” with focus on learning the lesser-discussed issues of law. Being the first event of its kind, the five – day Lecture Series was held through Zoom App, under the aegis of Moot Court Society, in collaboration with eminent legal luminaries across the nation. Registration was open for all bona-fide students of law of the country with an intention to kindle the young minds and cater to the inquisitive legal minds on topics of various legal issues.
Day -1 (20th May, 2020)
Speaker: Ms. Mumtaaz S. Bhalla, Partner, L&L Partners Law Offices, AOR- Supreme Court of India.
Topic: Masterclass on Alternate Dispute Resolution
The first day of the series was kick-started by the moderator, Ms. Gauri Agrawal (Secretary, MCS) by extending a warm welcome to the Keynote Speaker of the day, Ms. Mumtaaz S. Bhalla along with Prof. (Dr.) Rajesh Bahuguna, Dean, LCD/Vice-Chancellor, UU (officiating) and Prof. (Dr.) Poonam Rawat, Chairperson, MCS/ Principal, LCD (officiating), along with all the attendees of the event. Ms. Gauri Agrawal proceeded with the introduction of Ms. Bhalla highlighting her extraordinary achievements. Prof. (Dr.) Rajesh Bahuguna then inaugurated the event and emphasized on the importance of conducting such sessions and how they could prove to be indispensable for all budding lawyers in the long run. Being a member of the ADR-community he discussed on the impacts of ADR on law-practice and dispute-resolution in the long run.
Ms. Mumtaaz took over the Session and at the outset of her lecture shared her experience on traditional methods of teaching law and the importance of Alternate Dispute Resolution in the current scenario. She distinctly differentiated between, disputes involving right-in-rem and right-in-personum, and how only in a dispute involving the latter, ADR may be employed. Discussing on arbitration as a part of ADR, she emphasized on the importance of an arbitrator, different types and intricate technicalities of arbitration. Ms. Bhalla concluded the session stressing on the importance of selecting the right method of dispute resolution according to the nature of the dispute. This was followed by a query session in which the participants were able to comprehend the different aspects of ADR.
Day -2 (21st May, 2020)
Speaker: Mr. Ajit Sharma, Advocate-on-Record, the Supreme Court of India.
Topic: Law of Writs
Day-2 of the event was initiated by the moderator, Mohd. Danish Khan (Vice-President, MCS) with a warm welcome extended towards the Keynote Speaker of the day, Mr. Ajit Sharma and Mr. Sanpreet Singh Ajmani (President, Youth Bar Association of India & Advocate, the Supreme Court of India). He has a diverse work experience in the corporate world, both in India and abroad besides being a solicitor in England and Wales.
Mr. Ajit Sharma, took over the session by drawing a comparison between the past and the present scenario, with respect to the meaning, extent and use of writ and writ petitions. The lecture focused on the origin of writs in India and the ideologies which were adopted while including them in the Indian Constitution and the use of writs in disposing of PILs (Public Interest Litigation). Catering to the inquisitive minds of the attendees, he explained the ambit of application of these guaranteed provisions of remedy in actual Courts along with how and when the petitions involving them were rejected and on what grounds. Mr. Ajmani, in his lecture, shared his personal experience regarding dealings of writ-petitions, landmark cases and their judgments. The session proved to be informative as a deeper aspect of the topic was explored. This was followed by query session which further helped the participants in getting a clearer picture of the working mechanism of the Law of Writs.
Day 3: (23rd May, 2020)
Speaker: Dr. Amit George, Advocate, High Court of Delhi.
Topic: Doctrine of Manifest Arbitrariness
The third day of the Lecture Series had Dr. Amit George as the Keynote Speaker, and Mohd. Danish Khan (Vice-President, MCS) as the moderator. He has secured an L.L.M. (with Merit) Degree from the University of London International Programs with specialization in International Dispute Resolution and a Doctorate from National Law University, Delhi in the year 2015. Dr. Amit George has appeared as an arguing council before various arbitral tribunals in ad-hoc and institutional arbitrations, with a special focus on infrastructure disputes.
Dr. Amit George, in his lecture pontified on Article 14 and made a comparison between the two Doctrines—the traditional classification Doctrine (Intelligible Classification and Reasonable Nexus Test) and the newly evolved one under critical eye, the Doctrine of Manifest Arbitrariness. Dr. George went into the depth of views of critics of the Arbitrariness doctrine, while accepting that a clear definition of arbitrariness is yet to ensue—he believed one couldn’t still deny the importance of an independent doctrine. He explained distinctly how this arbitrariness doctrine goes beyond the object of the statute and examines the legal standing (and logic) of the statute at its root by quoting leading cases and their judgments. The query session witnessed burning questions like validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and several contemporary issues.
Day 4: (24th May, 2020)
Speaker: Ms. Aishwarya Bhati, Senior Advocate, the Supreme Court of India.
Topic: ‘Understanding the Basics of Constitutionalism’
The Keynote Speaker of the day Ms. Aishwarya Bhati currently represents the Uttar Pradesh Government as Additional Advocate General in the Supreme Court and is also a Panel A Lawyer for the Union Government.
Ms. Bhati, during the session, discussed the dynamic nature of the Fundamental Rights and went on to elaborate on the provisions of Part III. The lecture threw light on the foundation of the scheme of the Constitution. She, by means of various judgments and instances of legislative interference, talked at length about the relationship between the Fundamental Rights and the Directives enshrined in Part IV. Quoting some landmark judgments of the apex Court she urged the students and viewers to read their judgments to promote better understanding of the Constitution.
Day 5: 25th May, 2020)
Speaker: Dr. Charu Mathur, Advocate-on-Record, the Supreme Court of India.
Topic: ‘Master class on Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code’
Dr. Charu Mathur the Keynote Speaker of the day and was given a warm welcome by the moderator, Yogi Chaudhary (Secretary, MCS). Dr. Mathur is a regular practitioner before the Hon’ble Supreme Court and has represented parties like cricketing bodies, educational institutions like IIT Jodhpur, NLU – Jodhpur, BPUT-Orissa, Maharana Pratap Agricultural University, Gujarat University and Private Engineering & Medical Colleges of Gujarat & Orissa. Dr. Charu is an ambition driven person and tries to provide apt and practical legal solution to real life business issues.
Dr. Mathur began her lecture on Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code with a brief history and the paradigm-shift brought about by the new Code. She laid down the basics for beginners in a very lucid way explaining the meaning and distinction between the terms insolvency and bankruptcy. The discourse by the expert threw light on various topics like ‘Waterfall Mechanism’, proceedings under IBC and Section 138 (Negotiable Instruments Act). The query session cleared the doubts of the participants, providing a deeper understanding of the subject.
The five-day long ‘1st National Online Lecture Series’ on “Contemporary Legal Topics” was organized exemplarily by the Moot Court Society of Law College Dehradun, under the guidance of its patron Prof. (Dr.) Rajesh Bahuguna, Dean – LCD/ Vice-Chancellor, UU (officiating) and Prof. (Dr.) Poonam Rawat, Chairperson – MCS/ Principal – LCD (officiating). Student Coordinators, a team including Anna Anu Priya, President – MCS, Mohd. Danish Khan – Vice-President, Rahul Kumar – Convener and Gauri Agrawal – Secretary (Finance), did a commendable job along with the technical support rendered by the ‘Youth Bar Association of India’. The event saw participation from reputed universities across the nation like Amity Law School (Noida), REVA University (Bangalore), Central University of South Bihar (Gaya), Delhi Metropolitan Education, GGSIPU, Himachal Pradesh National Law University (Shimla), The Central Law College (Salem) to mention a few along with the host college.
Congratulations to the evolving and inspiring ‘Team MCS’ for such a scholastic event. We wish you good luck for all your future endeavors.
