Institute of Law, Nirma University, organised the Inaugural ceremony of the 2-day International Conference on Right to Equality 2.0: Contemporary Challenges on March 15, 2024. Prof. (Dr.) Mehraj Ud-din Mir-Chair Professor, Moti Lal Nehru, Chair K. R. Mangalam University, and Dr. Usha Ramanathan-Human Rights Scholar and Author were the distinguished speakers at the conference. Dr. Madhuri Parikh Director and Dean I/c Institute of Law, Nirma University presided over the event.
Prof. (Dr.) Mehraj Ud-din Mir stated that India is a vast country and is diversified in all spheres. He lauded the role of Dr. BR Ambedkar and all members of the drafting committee of the constitution. He referred to landmark Supreme Court Judgements on Articles 14, 15 17, 19, and 21 of the Constitution. He talked about the rights of women, children, educationally backward people, etc. He expressed concern over the various sections of the population deprived of health care, drinking water, quality education, etc.
Dr. Usha Ramanathan in her address highlighted that ‘rights’ are not given by the Constitution. The basic rights are given, inalienable, and recognised by the Constitution. She urged the students to understand what we mean by equality and what we don’t mean by equality. Equality doesn’t mean uniformness or robotisation. She also referred to Rawls’s theory of justice. She urged the students to have a critical perspective on issues of reservation, digital divide, artificial intelligence, and the influence of technology on the aspect of equality. She stated only a theoretical understanding won’t help and one needs to take stock of the ground realities.
Earlier, Dr. Madhuri Parikh Director and Dean I/c Institute of law, Nirma University delivered the welcome address. She stated that the International Conference on Right to Equality: Contemporary Challenges 2024 aims to foster collaborative opportunities and knowledge exchange among esteemed researchers in the field of constitutional law. The conference is poised to offer a forum for profound intellectual discourse on the multifaceted dimensions of the Right to Equality. Through meticulously curated panel discussions, enlightening keynote addresses, and interactive sessions, participants will have the opportunity to exchange perspectives, share insights, and deliberate upon the intricacies surrounding the contemporary understanding and application of constitutional law discourse. The broad themes of the conference include Equality of Status, Equality of Opportunity, Equality of Access, Social Equality, Equality and Foundational Values, and Challenges to Right to Equality. Dr. Vikash Upadhyaya, Prof. Abhas Srivastava, and Prof. Shriya Bhojwani -Assistant Professors at the institute were event coordinators.