150 Years of Indian Penal Code
International Seminar at KIIT School of Law

A galaxy of national and international legal luminaries joined the deliberation to celebrate 150 years of Indian Penal Code at KIIT University on 1st May 2011. Hon’ble Shri Justice Ananga Kumar Patnaik, Judge, Supreme Court of India inaugurated an international seminar on the subject organized by KIIT School of Law in association with British Council, India, while Rt. Hon Lord Nicholas Addison Phillips, President (Chief Justice) of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom was the Chief Guest.   
 
Rt. Hon Lord Anthony Peter Clarke, Justice of the Supreme Court of U.K.; Hon’ble Shri Justice B.P. Das, Judge, Orissa High Court; Mr. Fali S. Nariman, Sr. Advocate, Supreme Court of India, Prof. Martin Hunter, Emeritus Professor, Nottingham Trent University, U.K., Mr. Rob Lynes, Director, British Council, India and Ms. Pinki Anand, Sr. Advocate, Supreme Court of India were among those who graced the occasion.

Indian Penal Code, which was enacted in 1860, has withstood several stiff challenges in the Supreme Court after Indian Constitution came into effect in 1950, said Justice Patnaik. Indian lawyers and judges have done commendable job in interpreting it, he pointed out. He thanked Dr. A. Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS for bringing together eminent persons from the country and abroad to discuss this important subject.

Lord Phillips, who is known for his liberal outlook, emphasized that objective of punishment should be to bring about moral reform in criminals. Comparing British and Indian criminal justice systems, he said unlike India criminal law in U.K. is not set out in a single code, resulting in confusion among public and even lawyers and judges. “It is amazing that Indian Penal Code has survived 150 years, and credit for this goes to Lord Macaulay, who must have closely studied Indian society while drafting it”, he said. Introducing the justice system in U.K., Lord Clarke said it has been undergoing centuries of continuous evolution. Newly instituted Supreme Court is part of the same process, he added.

Even though Indian Penal Code has been adapted from time to time to suit changing social reality, it has not undergone any major modification during 150 years of its existence, Justice Das pointed out. Similarly, Mr. Nariman called it one of the longest and toughest legislations in India. Ms. Anand outlined some of the adaptations that the code has undergone.

KIIT School of Law, which will see its first batch graduating in 2012, has crossed important milestone in four years of its existence, said Prof. Hunter. The School actively organizes significant events and the occasion is a fitting sequel to International Law Week it held last year. City of Bhubaneswar is fast growing as an educational hub in India, said Mr. Lynes. KIIT University is known for its excellence, Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) for its social concern, he added. Earlier, Dr. Samanta welcomed the dignitaries and expressed his gratitude for their gracious presence.

A large number of legal luminaries from India and abroad, officials and students attended the seminar.  Prok. N. K. Chakrabarti, Director, KIIT School of Law proposed vote of thanks.

First BCI International Law Moot Court Competition Commences at KIIT

First Bar Council of India (BCI) International Moot Court Competition was inaugurated at KIIT by Hon’ble Mr. Justice B. P. Das, Judge, Odisha High Court on 9th February 2011. The competition is being organized by the Bar Council of India Trust in association of KIIT School of Law. The inaugural ceremony was graced by legal luminaries like Mr. Ashok Mohanty, Advocate General, Odisha, Mr. Jagannath Patnaik, Former Chairman, Bar Council of India, Mr. Daulat Ram Sharma, Associate Trustee, BCI Trust and Mr. Ashok Parija, Member, BCI and Convener of the competition.

Hon’ble Mr. Justice B. P. Das lauded the initiative of Bar Council of India Trust and KIIT School of Law for organizing a moot court competition at international level. It is a unique opportunity for the students, he said in his inaugural address, while hoping that it will immensely benefit the participants.

Moot court helps develop skills of a professional advocate, said Mr. Ashok Mohanty, while terming the endeavour to organize international moot court competition a historical development. Area of litigation has expanded manifold with the opening up of economy, he told the participants, while stating that people look upon lawyers to resolve the litigations.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jagannath Patnaik said that law should address present day economic and social challenges. Mr. Ashok Parija introduced the concept and outlined benefits of moot court competition. As many as 40 teams from different parts of the country are participating in this competition, he informed.

The Bar Council of India Trust has been organising national level Moot Court Competitions for about 26 years, informed Mr. Daulat Ram Sharma. The Bar Council of India, an apex body for the entire legal profession, has decided that the Bar Council of India Trust would conduct the 1st BCI International Moot Court Competition in association with KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. It is an attempt to foster interest in the area of International Arbitration. It will be an annual event, garnering participation not only from institutions across India, but internationally as well.    

The opportunity to organize this prestigious event in KIIT is a matter of pride not only for the university, but for the State of Odisha as a whole, said Dr. A. Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS. He expressed his gratitude to the legal luminaries for their presence on the occasion.

In his presidential address, Prof. A. S. Kolaskar, Vice Chancellor, KIIT University said that KIIT School of Law was established on the pattern of National Law Schools in 2007 to meet the growing demand for legal professions in the wake of globalisation and rapid expansion of India's economy. Prof. N. K. Chakrabarti, Director, KIIT School of Law proposed vote of thanks.

NALSA’s Year of Protection of Child Rights Declared at KISS
Mass Lunch of 250 Legal Luminaries with 15,000 Tribal Students of KISS

National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) declared 2011 as the Year of Protection of Child Rights. More than 250 legal luminaries from different parts of the country gathered at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) on 19th March 2011 to make this declaration.

They also participated in Child Rights Protection Programme organized under the leadership of Hon’ble Mr. Justice Altamas Kabir, Judge, Supreme Court of India & Executive Chairman, NALSA and Hon’ble Mr. Justice B. P. Das, Judge, Orissa High Court & Executive Chairman, Orissa State Legal Services Authority (OSLSA). Judges of Supreme Court of India, Hon’ble Mr. Justice R.V. Raveendran and Hon’ble Mr. Justice, P. Sathasivam; Hon’ble Mr. Justice L. Mohapatra, Judge, Orissa High Court and Hon’ble Mr. Justice Deepak Mishra, Judge, Delhi High Court also graced the occasion, among others.

As a part of the programme organized at KISS, legal luminaries interacted with the tribal students of the institute and explained them about the Child Rights. Subsequently, all legal luminaries had mass lunch with 15,000 tribal students at a time and at a place. The event was one of its type in scale and memorable. Expressing satisfaction and pride after having lunch with so many children, visiting legal luminaries termed it as a unique experience.

KISS, an institute that provides food, accommodation, health care and education from KG to PG to 15,000 under-privileged tribal children absolutely free, is a pride for State of Orissa and the country. Emphasis is laid on preserving elements of tribal culture, tradition and language. This enables them to live and study here in a comfortable environment.  
 
The success of the mass lunch programme of 250 legal luminaries with 15,000 tribal students at a time and at a place was due to the direct involvement of Dr. A. Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS for last seven days. Total 700 staff volunteers were engaged in serving the food at this mammoth programme.

Hon’ble Mr. Justice Altamas Kabir expressed happiness over the successful conduct of the programme and congratulated Dr. Samanta for his dedication for the cause of Child Rights. He also appreciated the hard work put in by staff of KISS and KIIT for organizing it.

First BCI International Moot Court Competition Concludes at KIIT

First Bar Council of India (BCI) International Moot Court Competition came to an end at KIIT on 12th February 2011. The four-day competition was organized by the Bar Council of India Trust in association of KIIT School of Law. There is a need to conduct more such events, opined legal luminaries at the valedictory ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Altamas Kabir, Judge, Supreme Court of India said that profession of law as well as legal education has undergone sea change over the years. Law now offers many avenues, he said, adding that caring, compassion and commitment are key qualities of an excellent legal person. He was touched by Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), where he visited earlier in the day. “It was amazing to see 15,000 students sitting here. It goes on to show human touch which has gone into making of KIIT University and KIIT School of Law,” Justice Kabir remarked, while congratulating KIIT for successful conduct of the competition.

Mooting must also address impacting mind of the judge, said Hon’ble Mr. Justice, A. K. Patnaik, Judge, Supreme Court of India, while reminding the budding lawyers that judge is also a human being. Mr. Gopal Subramanium, Solicitor General of India & Chairman, BCI pointed out that protecting rights of people who do not afford legal expenses is an important role of legal professionals.

A good advocate has respect for human values, said Hon’ble Mr Justice B. P. Das, Judge, Odisha High Court, while adding that moot competition will make students proficient in art of court craft. Stressing on the importance of skill in law, Prof. N. L. Mitra, Former VC, NLU Jodhpur & Chief Advisor, KIIT School of Law, said moot court, a dialectic process of learning, is superior to conventional classroom teaching.

Mr. Ashok Kumar Deb, Managing Trustee, BCI Trust informed that 40 teams from different parts of the country participated in the event. Mr. Ashok Parija, Convener of the competition and Member, BCI placed report of the competition.
 
Dr. Samanta thanked BCI and BCI Trust for selecting KIIT School of Law for this prestigious event. He also thanked the guests and dignitaries for their gracious presence.

Winners were also awarded in the valedictory ceremony. NALSAR, Hyderabad won the First Bar Council of India (BCI) International Moot Court Competition, while NLSIU, Bangalore finished runner up. Aishwarya Chandra of HNLU, Raipur won the Best Female Advocate Award and Gurusharan of GNLU was adjudged Best Male Advocate. GNLU and NLU, Delhi bagged Best Memorial and 2nd Best Memorial Awards. Third and Fourth Best Memorial Awards went to NLU, Jodhpur and HNLU, Raipur respectively.         

The Bar Council of India Trust has been organising national level Moot Court Competitions for about 26 years. This year for the first time an international dimension was given to the competition.

First BCI International Law Moot Court Competition Commences at KIIT

First Bar Council of India (BCI) International Moot Court Competition was inaugurated at KIIT by Hon’ble Mr. Justice B. P. Das, Judge, Odisha High Court on 9th February 2011. The competition is being organized by the Bar Council of India Trust in association of KIIT School of Law. The inaugural ceremony was graced by legal luminaries like Mr. Ashok Mohanty, Advocate General, Odisha, Mr. Jagannath Patnaik, Former Chairman, Bar Council of India, Mr. Daulat Ram Sharma, Associate Trustee, BCI Trust and Mr. Ashok Parija, Member, BCI and Convener of the competition.

Hon’ble Mr. Justice B. P. Das lauded the initiative of Bar Council of India Trust and KIIT School of Law for organizing a moot court competition at international level. It is a unique opportunity for the students, he said in his inaugural address, while hoping that it will immensely benefit the participants.

Moot court helps develop skills of a professional advocate, said Mr. Ashok Mohanty, while terming the endeavour to organize international moot court competition a historical development. Area of litigation has expanded manifold with the opening up of economy, he told the participants, while stating that people look upon lawyers to resolve the litigations.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jagannath Patnaik said that law should address present day economic and social challenges. Mr. Ashok Parija introduced the concept and outlined benefits of moot court competition. As many as 40 teams from different parts of the country are participating in this competition, he informed.

The Bar Council of India Trust has been organising national level Moot Court Competitions for about 26 years, informed Mr. Daulat Ram Sharma. The Bar Council of India, an apex body for the entire legal profession, has decided that the Bar Council of India Trust would conduct the 1st BCI International Moot Court Competition in association with KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. It is an attempt to foster interest in the area of International Arbitration. It will be an annual event, garnering participation not only from institutions across India, but internationally as well.    

The opportunity to organize this prestigious event in KIIT is a matter of pride not only for the university, but for the State of Odisha as a whole, said Dr. A. Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS. He expressed his gratitude to the legal luminaries for their presence on the occasion.

In his presidential address, Prof. A. S. Kolaskar, Vice Chancellor, KIIT University said that KIIT School of Law was established on the pattern of National Law Schools in 2007 to meet the growing demand for legal professions in the wake of globalisation and rapid expansion of India's economy. Prof. N. K. Chakrabarti, Director, KIIT School of Law proposed vote of thanks.

Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition

The 52nd Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition (South India Round) was jointly organised by School of Law, KIIT University and Surana & Surana International Attorneys. The competition was held from 28th to 30th January 2011. A total of sixteen teams from various institutions from South India participated in the competition. The competition was inaugurated by Hon’ble Mr. Justice P. K. Mishra, former Chief Justice of Patna High Court. Hon’ble Mr. Justice A. S. Naidu, former Judge, Orissa High Court judged the final rounds of the competition and also delivered the valedictory address on the 30th January 2011.
 
After five grueling rounds, ILS Law College, Pune emerged winner by beating NALSAR, Hyderabad in the finals. The other semi-finalists were National Law School of India University, Bangalore and Government Law College, Mumbai. Mr. Krishna Prasad from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore was adjudged as the best speaker of the competition, while ILS Law College, Pune won the award for the best memorials.

Experts in International Law from different parts of the country judged various rounds of the moot court competition. They include Prof. S. R. S. Bedi (Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala), Prof. David Ambrose (University of Madras, Chennai), Prof. Manoj Kumar Sinha (National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata), Prof. Vinai Kumar Sing (ISIL at ICRC Centre for International Humanitarian Law, New Delhi). The competition was co-ordinated by Mr. V. Shyam Kishore, Assistant Professor, KIIT School of Law.

3rd International and 7th Biennial Conference of Indian Society of Victimology

3rd International and 7th Biennial Conference of Indian Society of Victimology was held at KIIT University during 6th to 8th January 2011. In the inaugural session, Prof. N.K. Chakrabarti, Organizing Secretary and Director, School of Law, KIIT University, Prof. N.L. Mitra, Prof. K. Chockalingam. Vice-President, Indian Society of Victimology, Prof. (Dr.) Gerd F. Kirchoff, Secretary- General of World Society of Victimology, Prof. A. S. Kolaskar, Vice-Chancellor, KIIT University, and Dr. Sasmita Samanta, Registrar, KIIT University were present. Next two days two Plenary sessions and fourteen Parallel Sessions were held. The following issues were raised in various sessions.

• Emerging Victim oriented criminological theorization.
• Legislative initiative in securing justice to victims.
• Human rights of the victims
• Victim’s participation in Plea bargaining
• Newer dimensions of victim justice
• Impact of technological development and
• victimization of marginalized people
• Victimization of women and children
• Governmental schemes for victims
• Subaltern victimization and
• Victims of War Crime

About 200 delegates participated in the Conference from various parts of the country and abroad. More than 50 papers were presented in 14 parallel sessions chaired and co-chaired by twenty eight resource persons including two Vice-Chancellors namely Prof. V.P. Rao of NLSIU, Bangalore and Prof. Balraj Chowhan of RMLNLU, Lucknow. The papers covered a wide array of issues ranging from Alternative Dispute Resolution Techniques. Management of public and private safety, judicial attitude towards rape victims, Regulation Dimensions of Biotechnological Industry in India. Victimization of homo-sexuals, Domestic Violence and the Law, Cyber crime victimization, Elderly people and human rights, Impact on victims of terrorism, Anti trafficking legislation in India, Restorative Justice Process in India, Education and victimization and so on. The papers aroused meaningful insights and thereby resulted in fruitful academic discussions. A special Round Table session was conducted on “Governmental Schemes on Victim Compensation” Chaired by Prof. B. B. Pande wherein two special guests from Scotland - Dr. Frida Peterson Wheldon and Ms. Wendy Anne Strathearn were also present. Professor N. R. Madhava Menon was the Chief Guest in the Valedictory session.