Prof. (Dr.) Prabhash Ranjan
Professor and Vice Dean (Continuing Education)
B.A.; LL.B. (University of Delhi);
LL.M. (University of London);
Ph.D. (King’s College London)
Biography
Publications
Fellowships/Major Scholarships
Consultancy
Biography
Prof. (Dr.) Prabhash Ranjan holds a PhD in law from King’s College London. He studied at King’s College London on a doctoral scholarship. Prabhash studied at School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) for LLM on a British Chevening Scholarship. He also holds LLB and BA (Hons) in Economics degrees from University of Delhi.
Prabhash teaches and publishes in the area of international investment law and international trade law. He was working as an Associate Professor at the South Asian University – an international university established by the SAARC nations – before joining JGU. Prabhash has also worked as an Associate Professor at the National Law University Jodhpur and as Assistant Professor at the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. He has been a Visiting Scholar at Brookings India and a Visiting Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, Cambridge University. He was member of the team that drafted the 260th report of the Law Commission of India on the 2015 draft model Indian bilateral investment treaty. Recently he was invited by the Parliamentary committee on External Affairs to depose as an expert witness on ‘India and bilateral investment treaties’.
As a visiting faculty, Prabhash has taught courses on international investment law and international trade law at several prominent universities like the National Law School of India University Bangalore, National Law University Delhi and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
He has authored a book, ‘India and Bilateral Investment Treaties: Refusal, Acceptance, Backlash‘ published by Oxford University Press in 2019. Prabhash has published in several leading international journals like the Netherlands International Law Review, ICSID Review, Journal of World Trade, Journal of World Investment and Trade, Asian Journal of International Law, Cambridge International Law Journal, George Washington International Law Review, Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business to name a few. He regularly contributes opinion editorials in India’s leading national newspapers like The Hindustan Times and The Indian Express.
Publications
Books
- Prabhash Ranjan, India and Bilateral Investment Treaties: Refusal, Acceptance, Backlash, Oxford University Press: 2019 (378 + xxix pages).
[The book has been reviewed in the European Yearbook of International Economic Law (Springer), Indian Law Review (Routledge), ICSID Review (OUP), Asian Journal of International Law (CUP), American Review of International Arbitration (Columbia University)].
Peer Reviewed Journals
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘The Supreme Court of India and International Law: A Topsy-Turvy Journey from Dualism to Monism’ 43(3), Liverpool Law Review, 2022 (Springer), 571-595.
- Prabhash Ranjan and Praharsh Gour, ‘The TRIPS Waiver Decision at the World Trade Organization: Too Little Too Late!’ 13 Asian Journal of International Law (2023) (forthcoming).
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Russia-Ukraine War and WTO’s National Security Exception’, 58 Foreign Trade Review, 2023 (forthcoming).
- Prabhash Ranjan, Investor-State Dispute Settlement and Tax Matters: Limitations on State’s Sovereign Right to Tax, 31 Asia Pacific Law Review, 2023 (forthcoming).
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Emerging Trends in Investor State Dispute Settlement in New Free Trade Agreements’, 17 (7/8) Global Trade and Customs Journal, 2022, 332-337
- Prabhash Ranjan and Aman Kumar, Nomination of Candidates to International Judicial and Legal Bodies: A Critical Examination of Indian Practice, 11(2) Cambridge International Law Journal, 2022 (forthcoming).
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Retroactive Taxation, Investor-State Dispute Settlement, and India: Life Comes a Full Circle’, 50 (11) Intertax 2022 (Kluwer) 824-835.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘The Future of India’s Investment Treaty Practice: An Important Parliamentary Intervention’, 19 (1) Manchester Journal of International Economic Law (2022) 112-125.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Waiver at the World Trade Organization: A BIT of a Challenge’, 56 (3) Journal of World Trade, 2022 (Kluwer), 523-546.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Cairn Energy v India: Continuity in the Use of ILC Articles on State Responsibility’, 37 (1-2) ICSID Review – Foreign Investment Law Journal 2022 (Oxford University Press),543-551.
- Prabhash Ranjan, “Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Cases and India: Affronting Regulatory Autonomy or Indicting Capricious State Behaviour?” 21 (1) Journal of International Trade Law and Policy, 2022 (Emerald) 42-64.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘India-Afghanistan Trade and International Law’, 17(1) Global Trade and Customs Journal, 2022 (Kluwer), 2-9.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Compulsory Licenses and ISDS in Corona Times: Relevance of the New Indian Investment Treaty Practice’, 16 Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice (2021) (Oxford University Press), (748-759)
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Necessary’ in Non Precluded Measures Provisions in Bilateral Investment Treaties: The Indian Contribution, 67(3) Netherlands International Law Review (2020) (Springer), 473-501.
- Prabhash Ranjan and Pushkar Anand, ‘Covid-19, India, and Investor-State Dispute Settlement: Will India be Able to Defend its Public Health Measures?, 28(1) Asia Pacific Law Review (2020) (Routledge), 225-247.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Covid-19, India and Indirect Expropriation: Is the Police Powers Doctrine a Reliable Defence?’, 13(1) Contemporary Asia Arbitration Journal (2020), 205-228.
- Prabhash Ranjan and Pushkar Anand, ‘Indian Courts and Bilateral Investment Treaty Arbitration’, 4(2) Indian Law Review 2020 (Routledge), 199-220.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘National Security Exception in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and India-Pakistan Trade’, 54(4) Journal of World Trade 2020 (Kluwer), 643-665.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘The Present and the Future of the Indian BIT Programme: Throw the Bathwater, but Keep the Baby, 14 (7&8) Global Trade and Customs Journal (2019) (Kluwer), 372-375
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Police Powers, Indirect Expropriation in International Investment Law and Article 31(3)(c) of the VCLT: A Critique of Philip Morris v Uruguay, 9(1) Asian Journal of International Law (2019) (Cambridge University Press), 98-124.
- Prabhash Ranjan and Pushkar Anand, ‘How ‘Healthy’ are Investment Treaties of South Asian Countries: An Empirical Study of Public Health Provisions in South Asian Countries’ BITs and FTA Investment Chapters’ 33 (2) ICSID Review – Foreign Investment Law Journal (2018) (Oxford University Press), 406- 432.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘ISDS Transparency Provisions in the Indian BIT: A Half-Hearted Attempt? 15 Transnational Dispute Management (2018).
- Prabhash Ranjan and Pushkar Anand, ‘The 2016 Indian Model Bilateral Investment Treaty: A Critical Deconstruction’, 38 (1) Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business (2017), (Northwestern University), 1-54
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Comparing Investment Provisions in India’s FTAs with India’s Stand-Alone BITs: Contributing to the Evolution of New Indian BIT Practice’, 16 Journal of World Investment and Trade (2015), (Brill/Nijhoff), 899-930
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Most Favoured Nation Principle in Indian Bilateral Investment Treaties: A Case for Reform’, 55(1) Indian Journal of International Law (2015), (Springer) 39-64.
- Prabhash Ranjan and Deepak Raju, ‘Bilateral Investment Treaties and Indian Judiciary’, 46 (4) George Washington International Law Review (2014), (George Washington University) 809-847.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Using Public Law Concept of Proportionality to Balance Investment Protection with Regulation in International Investment Law – A Critical Appraisal’, 3(3) Cambridge International Law Journal (2014), (Cambridge University and Edward Elgar), 853-883.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘India and Bilateral Investment Treaties – A Changing Landscape’, 29 (2) ICSID Review – Foreign Investment Law Journal (2014), (Oxford University Press) 419-450.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘FDI in Multi-Brand Retail Trading and India’s Bilateral Investment Treaties’, 5(1) Trade, Law and Development (2013), 198-208.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Non-Precluded Measures in Indian International Investment Agreements and India’s Regulatory Power as a Host Nation’, 2 (1) Asian Journal of International Law (2012), (Cambridge University Press) 21-58.
- Prabhash Ranjan and Deepak Raju, ‘The Enigma of Enforceability of Investment Treaty Arbitration awards in India’, 6 (1) Asian Journal of Comparative Law (2011), (Cambridge University Press), 113-144.
- Prabhash Ranjan, Indian Investment Treaty Programme in Light of Global Experiences’, 45 (7) Economic and Political Weekly (2010), 68-73.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Treaties on Trade and Investment and the Indian Legal Regime’, 11 (1) Australian Journal of Asian Law (2009), (Melbourne University) 56-81.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Recent Developments in India’s Plant Variety Protection, Seed Regulation and linkages with UPOV’s Proposed Membership’, 12 (3) Journal of World Intellectual Property (2009), (Wiley) 219- 243.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Definition of Investment in Bilateral Investment Treaties of South Asian Countries and Regulatory Discretion’, 26 (2) Journal of International Arbitration (2009), (Kluwer) 217-235.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Applicable Law in the Disputes of the World Trade Organization’, 44 (15) Economic and Political Weekly (2009), 23-27.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Industrial Tariff Reduction: Why the best might still turn out to be the worst?’ 42 (5) Journal of World Trade (2008), (Kluwer) 953-966.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Medical Patents and Expropriation in International Investment Law – With Special Reference to India’ 5 (3) Manchester Journal of International Economic Law (2008), 72-104.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘International Investment Agreements and Regulatory Discretion: Case Study of India’, 9 (2) Journal of World Investment and Trade (2008), (Brill Nijhoff) 209-243.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Understanding the Conflicts between the TRIPS Agreement and the Human Right to Health’, 9 (6) Journal of World Investment and Trade (2008), (Brill Nijhoff) 551-570
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Bilateralism, MFN and TRIPS: Exploring the Possibilities of Alternative Interpretation’, 13 (4) International Trade Law and Regulation (2007), (Sweet & Maxwell) 67-78.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Choosing the Appropriate Tariff Reduction Formula in NAMA’, 41 (6), Economic and Political Weekly (2006), 1507-1511.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘International Predation and Anti-Dumping’, 39 (45), Economic and Political Weekly (2004), 4880-4884.
Book Chapters
- Prabhash Ranjan, The Impact of Investment Treaties on the Rule of Law in India’ in Jansen Calamita and Ayelet Berman (Eds) Investment Treaties and the Rule of Law Promise: The Asian Experience (Cambridge University Press: 2022), 38-66
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Investor Obligations in India’s New Bilateral Investment Treaties: Emergence of New Treaty Practice’ in Manjiao Chi, Marc Bungenberg & Andrea K. Bjorklund (Eds) Asian Yearbook of International Economic Law (Springer: 2022), 89-108.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Investor’s Obligation in Investment Treaties: Missing Text Or A Matter of Application’ in Jean Ho and Mavluda Sattarova (Eds) Investor’s International Law (Hart/Bloomsbury: 2021) 125 -150.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Essential Security Interests in International Investment Law: A Tale of TWO ISDS Claims Against India’ in Julien Chaisse et al (Eds) Handbook of International Investment Law and Policy (Springer: 2021) 197 -601.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Pharmaceutical Patents and Expropriation in Indian Bilateral Investment Treaties’ in Mahdev Mohan and Chester Brown (Eds) The Asian Turn in Foreign Investment (Cambridge University Press: 2021) 29 -47
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Free-zone Company, Investment standards and the Arab Spring: A case study of Ampal-American and Others v Egypt’ in Julien Chaisse et al (Eds) International Economic Law and the Challenges of the Free Zones: Global Regulatory Issues and Trends (Wolters Kluwer: 2019) 347-358.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Issuance of Compulsory Patent Licenses and Expropriation in Asian BITs and FTA Investment Chapters: A Study of India, China, Malaysia and Thailand’ in Liu Kung-Chung et al (Eds) The Future of Asian Trade Deals and IP (Hart/Bloomsbury: 2019), 133-155.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Capital Flows into India – Role of Monetary Transfer Provisions in India’s International Investment Agreements’ in Mahendra Pal Singh, Wolfram Cremer et al (Eds) Open Markets, Free Trade and Sustainable Development’ (Springer: 2019), 263-288
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘India and Bilateral Investment Treaties: From Rejection to Embracement to Hesitance?’ in R Babu and S Burra (Eds) “Locating India” in the Contemporary International Legal Order (Springer: 2018), 101-126
- Prabhash Ranjan and Pushkar Anand, ‘Investor State Dispute Settlement in the 2016 Indian Model Bilateral Investment Treaty: Does it Go Too Far?’ in Luke Nottage et al (Eds) International Investment Treaties and Arbitration Across Asia (Brill/Nijhoff: 2018), 579-611
- Prabhash Ranjan, Investment Protection and Host State’s Right to Regulate in Indian Model Bilateral Investment Treaty 2016: Lessons for Asian countries in Julien Chaisse et al (Eds) International Law of Foreign Investment in Asia: Sustainability, Regionalisation and Arbitration (Springer: 2017) 47-65.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Capital Flow Management Measures and International Investment Law – Never the Twain Shall Meet?’ in R Hofmann, Christian Tams, Stephan Schill et al (Eds) International Investment Law and the Global Financial Architecture (Edward Elgar: 2017), 257-280
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Determination of Indirect Expropriation and Doctrine of Police Power in International Investment Law: A Critical Appraisal’ (with Pushkar Anand as the second author) in Leila Choukroune (Ed) Judging the State in International Trade and Investment Law (Springer: 2016), 127-151
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Protecting Security Interests in International Investment Law’ in Mary Footer, Julia Schmidt and Nigel D White (Eds) Security and International Law (Hart/Bloomsbury: 2016), 273- 299
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘National Contestation of International Investment Law and International Rule of Law’ in M Kanetake and A Nollkaemper (Eds) Rule of Law at National and International Levels: Contestations and Deference (Hart/Bloomsbury: 2016), 115-142.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘India’s Bilateral Investment Treaty Programme: Past, Present and Future’ in Kavaljit Singh and Burghard Ilge (eds) Rethinking Bilateral Investment Treaties (Madhyam, Both Ends and Somo: 2016), 101-112.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Bilateral Investment Treaties and Right to Health: Comparing Chinese and Indian BITs’ in S Deva (eds) Socio Economic Rights in Emerging Free Markets – Comparative Perspectives from India and China (Routledge: 2015), 236-261
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Object and Purpose’ of Indian International Investment Agreements: Failing to Balance Investment Protection and Regulatory Power in V Bath and L Nottage (Eds) Foreign Investment and Dispute Resolution: Law and Practice in Asia (Routledge: 2011), 192-211
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘Anti-Dumping and South Asia’, in BS Chimni, BL Das, Mustafizur Rahman and Saman Kelegama (Eds) South Asian Yearbook of Trade and Development (Wiley-India: 2006), 329-356.
- Prabhash Ranjan, ‘International Trade and Human Rights: Conflicting Obligations?’, in Thomas Cottier, Joost Pauwelyn and Elisabeth Bürgi (Eds) Human Rights and International Trade (Oxford University Press: 2005), 311-321.
Fellowships/Major Scholarships
- Visiting Scholar, Brookings India: 1 August 2017 to 30 April 2018.
- Transnational Summer Law Institute (TLSI) Fellow, Transnational Law Institute, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London: June 2016
- Visiting Fellow, Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge: May-July 2015.
- King’s College London School of Law Doctoral Scholarship (full tuition and subsistence): 2009-2012;
- President’s Graduate Fellowship, National University of Singapore: 2009 (declined);
- Visiting Scholar, Faculty of Law, University of Sydney: 2010;
- Awarded Distinction in LL.M: 2007 (Distinction in all courses);
- British Chevening Scholarship (full tuition and subsistence): 2006-2007.
Consultancy
- Project on comparing India-EU Negotiations on Investment Protection, Funded by the Centre for WTO Studies: Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, (Rs 3,50,000): 2022
- Project on Supreme Court and International Law – Funded by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, (Rs 2,00,000): 2020.
- Project on Comparative Analysis of Provisions on Investment in US FTAs and India’s BITs – Funded by Centre for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce (Rs 1,20,000): 2015;
- Project on Comparing Bilateral Investment Treaties of BRICS by CUTS International – Funded by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva (US$ 2000): 2014;
- Project on Multilateral Agreement on Investment and India – Funded by UN-Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UN-ESCAP), Bangkok (US$ 5000): 2014;
- Project on comparing Investment chapters in Indian and ASEAN FTAs – Funded by the Centre for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Ministry of Commerce (Rs 1,50,000 INR): 2012 [Sole Researcher];
- Project on understanding the Bilateral Investment Treaties of Six Asian Countries – Funded by United Nations Development Programme, Regional Centre in Colombo (US$ 10,000): 2008-2009 [Sole Researcher];
- Project aimed at Understanding the Implications of the SAARC and ASEAN Bilateral Investment Agreements on the policy space of these countries – Funded by United Nations Development Programme, Regional Centre in Colombo (US$ 3000): 2007 [One of Three Researchers];
- Project on studying the position of South Asian Countries in the on-going negotiations on the Anti-Dumping Agreement as part of the WTO – Funded by Oxfam GB in India (US$ 2000) (equivalent in Indian rupees): 2006 [Sole Researcher].