Constitutional Law Society NLUO – Inaugural Panel Discussion

Date: 2nd Feb, 2019                                                                              Venue: Seminar Hall, NLUO

The Constitutional Law Society of NLUO under the aegis of Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Sri Krishna Deva Rao successfully culminated its inaugural panel discussion on 2nd Feb, 2019. Under the guidance of our Faculty Advisor, Mr. Ashit Kumar Srivastava, Assistant Professor of Law, the society organized the Discussion on the Topic “Divergence of opinion between Justice Dr. D.Y Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra in the Judgment of Sabarimala” where the panel comprised Registrar (I/C) Prof. (Dr.) Yogesh Pratap Singh, Dr. S. Sachidhanandam, Senior Adjunct Professor of law and Mr. Ashit Kumar Srivastava, Assistant Professor of Law, himself. The panel also consisted of four students who elucidated their viewpoints vis-à-vis the majority opinion as well as the minority opinion of the Supreme Court.

The topic was further segregated into 4 major themes which were, Gender Equality and Untouchability [A], Essential Religious Practices [B], Religious Denominations [C] and Future Implications [D].

The discussion started on vigorous note. There was a question before the panel with respect to the Gender Inequality. Prof. Yogesh, while addressing the question expressed his unfettered opinion about the issue where he mentioned that Right to Equality provided under Article 14 of the Indian Constitution should not be compromised in any case.  To which the other side argued on Constitutional Morality and Religious Faith. Mr. Ashit Srivastava mentioned that even legal deities are juristic persons and they are also vested with constitutional rights which entail them to have Right to Privacy and therefore the dissenting opinion of Justice Indu Malhotra stands firm. Prof. Sachidhanandam, however, maintained a neutral stand. There was barrage of questions and dissent from both the sides.

Subsequent to the panel discussion, the floor was opened for questions and the audience left the panel into bewilderment as they came well prepared and researched. Nonetheless, there was a clear divergence of opinion and views amongst the audience. One learned student from the crowd, traced down the history of Lord Ayyappa and took the discussion over beliefs like Nastik Brahamcharya. Instances like ban on women entry into Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah or prohibition on entry of men into Kamakhya Temple in Assam due to religious beliefs were brought forth with an attempt to draw a parallel with the ensuing debate.

Towards the conclusion of the discussion, all the panelists found themselves in a state of impasse. Ergo, reaching a unanimous stance was difficult.

With this all the panelists concluded their viewpoints and made students aware about the fact that Constitution is the law of the land and being a part of legal fraternity, it holds paramount importance in shaping the legal character of individuals.