Inside JGU 2018 - Issue 10 (November)
From the JGU Archives 2009 Milestones
27 January 2009
Passage of Ordinance by the Government of Haryana establishing O.P. Jindal Global University.
7 February 2009
Agreement between Pearson VUE, USA and O.P. Jindal Global University to conduct the entrance test for Jindal Global Law School 2009-10 admissions, the Law School Admission Test – India by Law School Admission Council, USA.
16 February 2009
Announcement of admissions for the entering class of three-year LL.B. students at JGLS.
4 March 2009
Announcement of admissions for the entering class of five-year B.A. LL.B. students at JGLS.
20 April 2009
JGU and JGLS recognised by the Bar Council of India.
24 May 2009
LSAT-India admission test was conducted across 14 cities in India
July 2009
JGLS Announced Global Teaching Fellowships
As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen academic collaborations, JGU signed a memorandum of understanding with Peking University, China and also hosted a joint seminar on ‘Governance, Norm-Setting and Compliance Across Cultures’. The seminar was organised by the Centre for India China Studies (CICS) at JGU and the Research Center for Chinese Politics, Peking University on 12 November 2018 at the JGU campus.
The keynote address was delivered by Professor (Dr.) YU Keping, Dean, School of Government, Peking University and Director of the Center for Chinese Government Innovations, Beijing, on the theme: “Rule by Rites (Li) and Law (Fa) and Chinese Forms of Behaviors: Institutions and Habits in the Traditional Chinese Context”, followed by a roundtable dialogue on ‘Governance Transformation and Implication on Civil Society in India and China’ and sessions on various areas. The event was attended by Mr. Li Ya, Political Counsellor, Embassy of People’s Republic of China in Republic of India; and Mr. Liu Ruiqi, Chairman of the Board, International Martial Arts Co. Ltd., HengYuanXiang (Group) Co. Ltd.
About the Centre for India China Studies (CICS)
The Centre for India China Studies (CICS) was established in October 2014 by JGU. It is a multi-disciplinary intellectual platform and resource hub for academics, practitioners and students interested in studies of South Asia and greater China. The Centre specialises in research areas related to legal and political systems, trade and diplomatic relations, finance and economics, judiciary and civil society and journalism and media development of the two Asian geo-political regions. It fosters research collaboration and exchange opportunities between scholars, students and institutions of the two regions, and is committed to the larger vision of Sino-India collaboration and south-south cooperation.
The Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS) organised “JGU Leadership Seminar for School Leaders” on 2 November, 2018 at University campus, in which School Leaders and Counsellors from different schools of Delhi NCR participated. During the seminar, Dr. Sanjeev Sahni, Director, Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS), delivered a talk on “Leadership and Competency Mapping” and Dr. Manjushree Palit spoke on the “Importance of Emotional Intelligence”.
JIBS undertook several other academic initiatives over the past month
JIBS director, Dr. Sanjeev P. Sahni invited as Chief Guest by DPS, Sonipat
Delhi Public School, Sonipat invited Dr. Sahni as the Chief Guest for their school function held at the school premises at Sonipat on 3 November, 2018. Apart from Dr. Sahni, some faculty and staff members were also invited for the programme.
JGU delegation visits Bangladesh
As part of institutional building activities, Dr. Sahni travelled to Dhaka, Bangladesh from 9 – 12 November 2018. During the visit, Dr. Sahni delivered a talk on “Stress Management” at two schools (International Turkish Hope School and Cambrian School and College) where nearly 220 teachers participated. Dr. Sahni also delivered another talk on ‘Performance Enhancement’ at Cambrian School and College which was attended by about 250 students.
During the visit, Dr. Sahni met with the Vice Chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, Dhaka and the Director and Faculty of Victimology and Restorative Justice in MS Program, Institute of Social Welfare and Research of the University of Dhaka to explore mutual collaborations.
In addition, Dr Sahni also met with Associate Editor of the leading media house, Prothom Alo. Consequent to the meeting, they have agreed to be the media partner for all future events being planned by JGU in Bangladesh.
Alumni Relations Office organises JGU Alumni Meet in Hyderabad
The Alumni Relations Office at JGU organised a JGU Alumni Meet in Hyderabad on 18 November 2018. The event was attended by around 34 students. Dr. Sahni addressed the participants and spoke on the vision and mission of JGU. He reiterated the need for improving relations with alumni by constantly communicating with them. He also called upon former students to assist the university in mentoring and providing information on internships to current students.
Jindal Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship (JSiE) was recognised as a ‘Social Business Champion’ by ReTHINK India Social Business Forum 2018 held at the Scope Convention Centre, New Delhi on 20 November 2018. The Social Business Forum Awards 2018 went to enterprises which have smartly intertwined the social and financial purposes, along with centres of social business at universities across the country. Shine Varghese, JGLS student and Research Assistant, JSiE, accepted the award on behalf of the Centre.
In addition, Shine Varghese JGLS student and Research Assistant at JSiE and Abhishekh Ganesh JGBS student and Research Assistant at JSiE were recently invited to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) University program at the University of Chicago on October 19-21, 2018.
Created in 2007, the CGI University Program works to develop and engage youth leaders on college campuses around the world. Annually, the initiative hosts an event where students, school leadership and others convene to develop solutions to global issues. In the last decade, students have made more than 6,250 commitments and been awarded close to $3 million in funding through the CGI University initiative. Shine and Abhishek were selected based on their social entrepreneurship project proposal, Jagriti, which is being incubated by JSiE.
About JSiE
The Jindal Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship (JSiE) at JGU is a global social impact centre. JSiE works to strengthen the capacity for social innovation in North India and joins a global network of actors working to enable higher education institutions, their students, faculty, and alumni to address the 21st century’s most pressing challenges. By building bridges between socially responsible leaders around the world for innovative teaching, startup incubation, and social impact research, JSiE aims to spur more inclusive economic growth and development in India and globally.
Since 2016, JSiE has supported the global social enterprise ecosystem through the creation of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on social enterprise which has been completed by over 15,000 students from 150+ countries.
The Gender Studies Group under the aegis of the Centre for Law and Humanities (CLH) at JGU organised a panel discussion on ‘Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act’ on 25 October 2018. The primary objective of the panel discussion was to provide a common platform to various stakeholders to discuss the present ramifications of the PCPNDT Act. The discussion aimed to arrive at comprehensive and practical solutions accounting for the differing roles that stakeholders must play in order to address the issue of sex-selective abortions.
The panelist included representative from the legal sector, medical sector, bureaucracy and civil activists who are working on the issue of sex-selective abortions in India namely: Dr. Neeraj Nagpal, Convener of the Medicos Legal Action Group; Prof. (Dr.) Sarasu Esther Thomas, Faculty, National Law School of India University, Bangalore; Preeti Bhardwaj, Vice Chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW); and Veenu Kakkar, an activist and consultant working in the same field. The panel discussion was moderated by Prof. (Dr.) Upasana Mahanta, Associate Professor, JGLS. The discussion was coordinated by Prof. Nisha Nair, Assistant Professor, JGLS, and Mohak Thukral, Student, JGLS.
The discussion revolved around the idea that how more than 20 years after the PCPNDT Act was passed, sex-selective abortions continues to remain a major issue’ due to the ineffective implementation of the Act. The panelists began their discussion by addressing how there is a need to address the disorientation in terms of regulation of stakeholders. The panelists discussed the reasons for the sex selective abortions and critically considered the steps taken by the government so far. The panelists also drew attention to how other policies like that for population control further stimulates the preference for a male child. The panelists highlighted the attitudes of the parents towards not wishing for a girl child and how gender inequalities manifest itself in the society. The work of the present government on the issue was scrutinised, and case studies of the villages and cities, in Haryana were discussed to understand how State is combating the issue.
Overall, it was concluded that a comprehensive social policy is the need of the hour that could usher a more permanent and lasting change in the society. Political and social dialogue on issues of ineffectual regulatory mechanisms like PCPNDT Act, 1994, need to be part of the agenda with stakeholders to ensure that an inclusive social policy taking cognizance of our patriarchal society is implemented fairly.
The Office of Rankings, Benchmarking and Institutional Transformation (ORBIT), and International Institute for Higher Education Research and Capacity Building (IIHEd) jointly organised a conference on ‘Promoting a Culture of Excellence in Universities: Role of Rankings & Benchmarking’ from 18 – 19 November 2018 at the JGU campus. Professor (Dr.) Khaled Assaleh, Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Ajman University, UAE; Professor (Dr.) Ihron Rensburg, Visiting Professor, King’s College London & Former Vice Chancellor University of Johannesburg, South Africa; and Professor (Dr.) Pankaj Mittal, Additional Secretary, University Grants Commission, Delhi attended the event as guests of honour.
The two-day conference began with a welcome address by JGU Vice Chancellor, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar followed by several sessions on a variety of topics related to rankings, benchmarking, institutional excellence, sustainability and higher education scenario in BRICS countries.
Concept Note In the public discourse on future of higher education in India, there has been a growing emphasis on promoting quality and excellence of global standards in Indian Universities. This need becomes more pertinent in the light of India’s inability to figure in the list of top global universities by various world university rankings. As a country of billions, India education system constantly faces an increasing demand for higher education by its young population. While catering to the educational demand of young population is the priority of Indian universities and higher education institution (HEI), providing high quality education is being the foremost responsibility of them. This has necessitated HEIs to improve their institutional standards and strive towards excellence. In this context, rankings and data benchmarking have arguably emerged as a tool for improving their performance. Data Benchmarking is an ongoing, systematic process used for measuring and comparing the work processes of one organization to those of another, by bringing an external focus to internal activities, functions, or operations (Kempner 1993). It highlights the problem areas and the potential for improvement, providing an incentive to change, and assists in setting targets and formulating plans and strategies (Meade, 1994). Rankings and benchmarking not only become tools to assess their performance but also instruments to push them to improve themselves.
Today, we stand at an important juncture of change, where each of us being a part of this service have a responsibility to drive that higher level of excellence. We have some important milestones to meet- Balancing an increase in education outreach with improved quality; Achieving excellence through means of benchmarking by adoption of industrial best practices, and through higher world rankings which place Indian universities on the global education frontier; And finally channelizing this excellence into achieving not just growth in economy, but also into making a social impact to see India evolve into a developed nation. As ranking and benchmarking as indicators of the quality of Institutional quality have caught the popular imagination of the governments, policymakers, academicians, students and other stakeholders, this has demanded a scholarly deliberation on the perceived role of data benchmarking in promoting the culture of excellence in universities. In this view O.P. Jindal Global University brings to you a two-day Conference and Networking Arena on Promoting a Culture of Excellence in Universities: Role of Rankings and Benchmarking to be held on 18-19 November 2018.
This conference aims to lead the discussions and deliberations on the roadmap that the universities should follow in order to transform themselves from local “centres of excellence” to global “institutions of eminence”. It also aims to highlight the importance of learning from the efforts and experiences of other countries especially BRICS nations and imbibing their best practices in Indian higher education system. The culture of excellence in universities is further promoted by the high quality research work. Research is not only a natural corollary of high level thinking and creativity, but has a larger and a far-reaching impact as a tool of social transformation. The larger goal of this conference is to sensitize and educate the multiple stakeholders on how the rankings and benchmarking can be channelized to create a culture of excellence that would further contribute in institutional building for nation building. Therefore, a wide range of panel discussions have been planned to cover areas on rankings & benchmarking, impact of research publications in the Indian context, global impact by creating imminence and excellence within BRICS, and use of excellence in education to achieve higher levels of social impact and community engagement.
Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) organised a book talk and discussion on ‘The Story of – The Dubai International Financial Centre Courts: A Retrospective’ by Professor Jayanth Krishnan, Milt and Judi Stewart Professor of Law, Director, Milt and Judi Stewart, Center on the Global Legal Profession, Maurer School of Law, Indiana University, USA, at the JGU campus on 15 November 2018.
- About Professor Jayanth Krishnan
Jayanth Krishnan is the Milt and Judi Stewart Professor of Law at Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law. He is also the Director of the Stewart Center on the Global Legal Profession at Indiana. He is the author of numerous publications on the legal profession, comparative courts, legal education, and globalisation and the law, a sample of which have been published by the California Law Review, Harvard Human Rights Journal, Texas Law Review, Law and Social Inquiry, and the Annual Review of Law and Social Science. Krishnan is the co-editor of a Cambridge University Press book on law and religion, and other works of his have appeared in volumes published by Cambridge and Stanford University Press. He is also the recipient of Indiana University Bloomington’s Trustees Teaching Award and the Leon Wallace Teaching Award, which is the highest such honour at the Maurer School of Law.
Abstract
Can Western-based, English-speaking, common law commercial courts operate successfully in an environment that are not their own—such as in the Middle East? This question is not a simple thought experiment but rather the reality that has occurred since the mid-2000s in the Emirate of Dubai. This monograph recounts the history of how the ‘Dubai International Financial Centre Courts’ emerged. Drawing on extensive interviews with key stakeholders involved in the process, along with rich original documents as well as all of the Courts’ judgments, this narrative offers important lessons for those seeking to understand more fully the complex interplay of how law, legal institutions and legal and political actors operate in today’s globalised world.
Read more: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3280883
Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) and Jindal Centre for Israel Studies (JCIS) conducted a public lecture on ‘Public and Academic Debate on Implementing the Uniform Civil Code in India: Domestic and Cross Country Analysis’, in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel, New Delhi. The lecture was delivered by Professor Shimon Shetreet, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel on 15 November 2018 at the JGU campus.
- About Professor Shimon Shetreet
Professor Shimon Shetreet is the Greenblatt Professor of Public and International Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also the head of the Sacher Institute of Legislative Research and Comparative Law. He has appeared before the Supreme Court of Israel in a number of landmark cases, was Member of the Chief Justice Landau Commission on the Israeli Court System, 1980, was a Founder Secretary General of the Public Law Association (1987 – 1992), and a Judge on the Standard Contract Court (1981-88). He is President of the Israeli Chapter of the International Association of Constitutional Law. Prof Shetreet has published extensively. He is author and editor of a number of books, including Judicial Independence: The Contemporary Debate (1985), The Role of Courts in Society (1988), National Security and Free Speech (1991), The Good Land between Power and Religion (1998) and On Adjudication (2004), among others. Prof. Shetreet’s book Judges on Trial: A Study of the Appointment and the Accountability of the English Judiciary (1976) was relied upon by the House of Lords in the Pinochet Case in January 1999 and this and other works have also been relied upon as well in numerous Highest court cases in other countries Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India. Prof. Shetreet has held high public offices. Between 1988 and 1996 he served as Member of the Knesset the Israeli Parliament, and also a cabinet Minister in the Rabin Government where he served as Minister of Economy and Planning, Minister of Science and Technology, Minister in charge of the Second Television and Radio Authority, and Minister of Religious Affairs.