One Day National Seminar on the theme of ‘Fundamental Rights in a Challenging World : Adopting to Contemporary Challenges

A One Day National Seminar on the theme of ‘Fundamental Rights in a Challenging World : Adopting to Contemporary Challenges ‘ was organized at Govind Ramnath Kare College of Law in collaboration with the Directorate of Higher Education in association with Modern Law School Pune on the 18^th of January 2025.

The first session post the inaugural was the technical session 1. The moderator for the programme was Dr. Yashomati Ghosh a Professor of Law at IIULER. For technical session 1 Sidharth Shirodkar from 2^nd year BALLB was the first presenter who spoke on the topic of ‘Freedom of Expression in the Age of Social Media’. He highlighted on the recent challenges related to social media and how misinformation is spread through it and how it creates communal disharmony and so on. The second presenter was Ronal Fernandes from 4^th year BALLB who spoke on the topic of ‘Judiciary’s Role in Authoritarian Regimes’. He explained about the need of judiciary in protecting fundamental rights of the citizens and its challenges. The third presenter was Prof. Shrini Faldessai who presented on the theme of ‘Gender Equality and Fundamental Rights: Progresses and Challenges. She laid emphasis on gender equality and how the Indian legal system is standing still in the sphere of women’s rights. The 4^th participant was from 2^nd year BALLB who discussed on the topic of Women, law and Justice : Lessons from RG Kar and Beyond. He highlighted on the issue of rape and how the country is regulated as the rape capital. He also mentioned about the education opportunities to women, behavioural attitudes of the other gender towards women and so on. The 5^th and the last presenter for the session was Prof. Harshad Bandodkar he elaborately spoke on the theme of ‘Suppression , Judicial independence in Authoritarian Regimes : Patterns and Consequences. He highlighted the rights and duties without any influence and how authoritarian regimes suppress judicial independence.

Furthermore , the technical session 2 was in online mode with presenters from all across the country. It included discussions and seminar on topics like right to clean environment , article 21 and article 51. The session was fruitfully moderated by the faculty member from Modern Law College , Pune MS. Vandana Pawar.

Technical session 3 covered a wide range of critical topics. The first presenter, Ms. Shivani Naik, an LL.M. student from our college, delivered an insightful talk on digital privacy, emphasizing safeguards against cyber threats and key provisions of the IT Act. Ms. Akanksha Gehlaut, Assistant Professor, discussed the dual nature of digital freedom of speech, highlighting challenges like misinformation, hate speech, and echo chambers, while offering solutions. Ms. Ruby Luis presented on “Right to Life and the Legal Implications of Accidental Deaths on Roads: A Constitutional Perspective”, focusing on the state’s role in prevention and the legal framework under the BNS. The session also covered artificial intelligence, its pros and cons, and the need for awareness. Presentations focused on digital privacy : emphasising safeguards against cyber threats and the role of the IT ACT ; dual nature of digital freedom of speech addressing challenges like misinformation, hate speech, and echo chambers, along with potential solutions; and the constitutional perspective on the right to life in the context of road accidents, highlighting the state’s role in prevention and relevant legal frameworks. The session also explored artificial intelligence, discussing its pros and cons alongwith its importance. Furthermore , this session also included constitutional morality , insights and its requisites. There were total 6 paper presenters in session 3 . The session was ably moderated by Prof. Rahul Tripathi , Professor at Goa University.

 

Overall the one day national seminar was an insightful platform that addressed contemporary issues . It fostered meaningful discussions in the realm of fundamental rights and provided practical solutions to modern problems.