The University of Southampton Hosts Leading Indian Judge for a Public Lecture at the Law Society of England and Wales

As an internationally acclaimed academic community for the study and teaching of law within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Southampton, Southampton Law School supports and participates in public events with a global outlook that reflect our commitment to the rule of law, international cooperation, and the dialogue between different legal traditions around the world.

A public lecture delivered by the Honourable Dr Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud at the Law Society of England and Wales on 20th June 2022 was such an event of high significance.

The co–organisers of the event (the University of Southampton, the Law Society, and the Law School of O.P. Jindal Global University in India) had the privilege of hosting Chandrachud –a senior judge and leading Indian jurist– for a lecture on the theme of human rights and judicial review under the title 'Human Rights in Regulatory Regimes: The Evolution of Judicial Review'. Chandrachud currently serves as a justice in the Supreme Court of India and will undertake the post of Chief Justice later this year.

In the course of his illuminating and highly engaging lecture, Chandrachud drew attention to notable court judgements in India that marked the end of criminalisation of same–sex relationships and ruled against forms of discrimination against women.

Moreover, Chandrachud acknowledged and praised the Indian judiciary's determination and continued efforts to 'align itself with the constitutional vision of a more just society', as quoted by Michael Cross in his article on Chandrachud's lecture published in The Law Society Gazette, which is available here.

Southampton Law School was represented at Chandrachud's lecture by Dr Harry Annison, Deputy Head of School (Research) and Dr Haris Psarras, Director of Internationalisation (pictured second from the left).

The lecture and the Q&A that followed, were chaired by Professor Sabu Padmadas (pictured far–left), Associate Dean (International) of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Founding Director (Research and Education) of the India Centre for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development at the University of Southampton.

The lecture was followed by a dinner at the Law Society.