Call for Submissions: National Law School of India Review [Volume 37(1)]

[This is call for submissions issued on behalf of the National Law School of India Review] 

National Law School of India Review

National Law School of India University, Bengaluru           ISSN No: 0974-4894

Call for Submissions – Volume 37(1)

Submissions for Volume 37(1) of the NLSIR Journal

The National Law School of India Review (NLSIR) is the flagship student-edited law review published by the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. It is a bi-annual, peer-reviewed journal with the unique distinction of being cited multiple times by the Supreme Court of India, most recently in Union of India v M/s Mohit Minerals. NLSIR has also been cited by courts abroad, such as the High Court of South Africa.

NLSIR is a generalist law review that aims to:

1. Publish scholarship of the highest caliber in Indian law.

2. Publish comparative studies that yield unique insights for the development of Indian law.

3. Promote legal scholarship with respect to India and the broader Global South.

4. Promote deliberation on issues within the legal profession, the government, academia, industry, and civil society.

5. Promote quality legal writing by law students and early-career legal academics.

The NLSIR Editorial Board is happy to invite original, unpublished manuscripts for consideration for the upcoming Volume 37(1) of the Journal. The deadline for submissions is 2nd February 2025. We will not be able to accept any open submissions for Volume 37(1) after this date.

Submission Guidelines

As a general rule, all submissions should conform to NLSIR’s mandate and aims and must have some relevance to Indian law. Submissions may be made under any one of the following categories:

1. Long Article (5,000 to 10,000 words): Submissions under this category are expected to engage with a topic and existing literature comprehensively, and offer an innovative reassessment. Purely theoretical pieces, e.g., pieces on jurisprudence or legal philosophy are also welcome.

2. Essay (3,000 to 5,000 words): Submissions under this category, while similar to Long Articles, are expected to be more concise and targeted in issue identification and argumentation.

3. Legislative/Case Comment (2,500 to 5,000 words): Submissions under this category are expected to critique a contemporarily relevant judicial pronouncement or legislative measure.

4. Book Review (2,000 to 3,000 words): Submissions under this category are expected to engage with a recent book that is concerned with one or more legal issues. 

Please note that word limits are exclusive of footnotes. In compelling circumstances, the NLSIR Editorial Board may be flexible with respect to the word count depending on the quality of the submission. Please refer to our submission guidelines for more information.

Submission Process

All submissions must be made via the NLSIR Digital Commons Repository, by creating an account here. For further instructions and clarifications for submissions on the Platform, please refer to this guide. We do not accept submissions over email. We endeavour to revert to authors with the first round of editorial review within 4 weeks of submission.

Additional guidelines:

1. Please ensure that your submission is made as a Microsoft Word document (.docx).

2. The manuscript should be anonymised and should not contain any personal identifiers (e.g., author name, institutional affiliation, personal acknowledgements, etc.).

3. Manuscripts should be accompanied by a cover letter.

4. Manuscripts should be accompanied by an abstract of around 150 words.

For any queries and concerns, please contact us at mail.nlsir@gmail.com or visit our website.

National Law School of India Review

ONLINE

Submissions for NLSIR Online

NLSIR Online was launched as a companion blog to the NLSIR journal in 2018. The goal of NLSIR Online is to provide a platform for concise and timely academic commentary on contemporarily relevant issues in Indian law. NLSIR Online mirrors the mandate of the journal. We welcome submissions on all areas of the law, including case comments, interdisciplinary analyses, comparative studies, etc.

NLSIR Online Submission Guidelines:

1. Submissions should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words approximately. However, we are flexible with the word count depending on the quality of the submission.

2. The manuscript must be submitted via this Google Form. Current students at NLSIU, Bengaluru must submit their manuscripts via this separate form.

3. Manuscripts must be submitted in a .docx (Microsoft Word) format.

4. Manuscripts must not contain any personal metadata or identifiers (e.g., author details, institutional affiliation, acknowledgements, etc.).

5. Co-authorship is permitted.

6. Submissions must be original and must not be under simultaneous consideration for publication on any other platform.

7. All references must be hyperlinked.

For additional details, please refer to the detailed NLSIR Online Submission Guidelines.

All manuscripts submitted to NLSIR Online undergo a round of review by the NLSIR Editorial Board. We are committed to reverting to authors with a decision on publication within two to three weeks. We invite submissions for the blog on a rolling basis, and do not have fixed submission deadlines for it.

For any queries and concerns with respect to NLSIR Online, please contact us at nlsirevonline@gmail.com or visit our website.

Call for Submissions: NLSIR Vol. 36(2)

(This is a call for submissions for the National Law School of India Review)

NATIONAL LAW SCHOOL OF INDIA REVIEW (NLSIR)

VOL. 36(2): DEMOCRACY, FREE EXPRESSION, AND PRESS CENSORSHIP

INTRODUCTION

The freedom of expression finds expression in the world’s largest democracy in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. In any democratic polity, accountability, checks and balances, and transparency among various institutions are of paramount importance. As an institution, the media and the free press play a critical role in upholding accountability and transparency norms in public life. In India, particularly, the press has often been referred to as the “fourth pillar” of Indian democratic life. 

Over time, serious questions have been raised about the independence of the media and the press in India. In 2023, India ranked 161 out of 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index, the lowest it has ever been. This comes at the same time that state authorities arrested Prabir Purkayastha, the editor of NewsClick, an independent Indian news website. Purkayastha was booked under terror charges on allegations of money laundering and promoting Chinese propaganda.

The press in India is, and has always been, a prominent institution in exposing various issues that affect public life. The undermining of such an institution raises important questions of academic interest and warrants in-depth analyses.

Volume 36(2) will focus on the multiple legal issues around press freedom in India. The Special Issue aims to analyse the relationship between various laws and press freedom. In doing so, it emphasises the deeply intertwined relationship between press freedom and democracy in the Indian context.

VISION FOR THE ISSUE

The vision underlying the issue is prompted by repeated instances of undue influence, both overt and subtle, that have raised questions about the extent of freedom of press in India. Governmental interventions, as well as corporate influence, have contributed extensively to the suppression of the free press.

There have been numerous instances of such undue influence over the past few years. From the crackdown of press freedom in Jammu & Kashmir, to the blocking of independent news outlets, to increasing concentration vis-à-vis corporate ownership of media houses, the press in India has come under increased strain. This raises pertinent issues with respect to the health of Indian democracy and public discourse.

This issue seeks to unpack all these factors. An illustrative list of issues that we seek to cover in this Special Issue are:

a) Investigating how cultural norms, social identities, and power dynamics shape freedom of speech and expression in India, and the implications for inclusivity and social cohesion.

b) Analysing the influence of economic factors, such as corporate ownership, advertising revenue, and market competition, on media independence and editorial autonomy.

c) Exploring the role of digital platforms, social media, and online journalism in facilitating or restricting freedom of speech, and the challenges posed by online censorship and misinformation/disinformation.

d) Assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of existing laws and regulations governing press freedom and exploring potential reforms to enhance media freedom and accountability.

e) Assessing the legal framework governing corporate liability for media content, including defamation, privacy violations, and other legal challenges, and analysing case law and legislative developments in this area.

f) Examining the role of whistle-blowers in exposing corporate malfeasance, corruption, and unethical practices in the media industry, and assessing the adequacy of legal protections and institutional mechanisms for safeguarding whistle-blowers’ rights.

g) Assessing the constitutional protections afforded to journalists’ rights, including the freedom to report, investigate, and publish news without fear of reprisal, and analysing judicial responses to attacks on journalists and media organizations.

The Special Issue will include both invited as well as submitted contributions. We cordially invite scholars from diverse areas of study to be part of, and provide their own contributions to, this Special Issue. We invite scholarly articles, empirical research, policy analyses, etc., that contribute to understanding press freedom in India. Interdisciplinary approaches and comparative law papers are particularly welcome.  

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions for the Special Issue may be made in accordance with our Submission Guidelines under any of the mentioned categories. For further clarity on the categories, please refer here.

Interested authors are requested to submit their manuscripts via our Digital Commons platform. Please refer to this guide for instructions and clarifications with respect to navigating Digital Commons.

The deadline for submissions is 15th May 2024.

Please note that we do not accept submissions over email.

NLSIR SYMPOSIUM 

Once the Special Issue is finalised, we will invite all authors to be a part of the annual NLSIR Symposium conducted in the form of a roundtable discussion. The transcript of the same will be published as a part of Vol. 36(2).

CONTACT

For any queries with respect to Vol. 36(2), please feel free to reach out to us at mail.nlsir@gmail.com. 

Call for Submissions - NLS Business Law Review

The Editorial Board of the NLS Business Law Review (NLSBLR) for 2023-24 is inviting original and unpublished submissions for the upcoming print Volume 10 of the Journal.

About NLSBLR

The NLSBLR is a student-run journal at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, India’s premier law school. Our goal is to recognise and foster cutting-edge academic scholarship on commercial law. Over the years, since the publication of our first volume in 2015, we have featured scholarship by a diverse range of leading academics, advocates, judges, scholars, and other luminaries, such as Justice V. Ramasubramanian (Judge, Supreme Court of India), Mr. Philip R. Wood CBE, KC (Yorke Distinguished Fellow, University of Cambridge), Prof. (Dr.) Regis Bismuth (Professor, SciencesPo Law School), Mr. Matthew Hodgson (Partner, Allen & Overy LLP), Mr. Rajat Sethi (Founder & Managing Partner, S&R Associates), and Prof. (Dr.) James J. Nedumpara (Professor, Jindal Global Law School).

The Journal is accompanied by the NLSBLR Blog, which carries shorter and contemporaneous pieces on recent developments in commercial law.

The Journal is indexed in prominent databases like HeinOnline, SCC Online, and the Indian University Grants Commission's Consortium for Academic Research and Ethics (UGC-CARE).

Our Mandate

The Journal intends to foster academic scholarship in commercial law by examining the myriad regulatory and legal frameworks, be it domestic or international, that impact business and commerce in either India or abroad. We particularly welcome submissions with a comparative law perspective, with a focus on India or the developing country context generally. Our mandate, amongst other things, includes company law, securities law, banking and finance, tax law, international investment law, international commercial arbitration, commercial dispute resolution, intellectual property law, contract law, and employment law.

Submission Guidelines

Detailed submission guidelines (along with the process for submission) for the Journal are available on our website. In brief, we accept submissions that fall within the following categories:

1. Long Form Articles: Between 6,000 and 10,000 words. Submissions in this category are expected to engage with the topic, its theme, and available literature comprehensively so as to offer a novel and original reassessment.

2. Essays: Between 4,000 and 6,000 words. Submissions in this category are comparatively more concise and limited in their scope. Essays usually deal with a very specific topic as compared to Long Form Articles.

3. Case/Legislative Comments: Between 1,500 to 3,000 words. Submissions in this category are expected critically analyse a recent court decision or legislative/policy proposal, either in India or abroad, and comment on its implications.

4. Book Reviews: Between 2,000 to 3,000 words. Submissions in this category are expected to critically analyse and engage with a recent academic book that falls under our mandate.

We recommend that potential authors choose a topic that is contemporarily relevant. We especially encourage undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students to consider writing for the Journal. We also welcome purely theoretical/philosophical/jurisprudential pieces.

Submissions must be accompanied with an abstract of not more than 250 words. Further, submitted manuscripts must not contain any biographical information regarding the authors, such as names, institutional affiliations, acknowledgements, etc. This information can be added at a later stage if the manuscript is accepted for publication. Finally, submissions made to the Journal must be on an exclusive basis and not be under concurrent consideration by any other academic or non-academic publication.

To reiterate, we request all potential authors to go through our submission guidelines thoroughly before submitting their manuscripts.

Contact

In case of any queries or concerns, please contact us at nlsblrjournal@gmail.com. Communication, regarding the Journal, addressed to other email addresses will not receive a response.

Call for Papers: National Law School of India Review Volume 36(1) and NLSIR Online

Call for Submissions – Volume 36(1) and NLSIR Online

Introduction

The National Law School of India Review (NLSIR) is the flagship student-edited law review published by the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. It is a bi-annual, peer reviewed journal and holds the unique distinction of being cited thrice by the Supreme Court of India. NLSIR has also been cited by courts abroad, such as the High Court of South Africa.

NLSIR is a generalist law review and aims to:

1. Publish scholarship of the highest calibre in Indian law.

2. Publish comparative studies that yield unique insights for the development of Indian law.

3. Promote legal scholarship with respect to India and the broader Global South.

4. Promote deliberation on legal issues within the legal profession, the government, academia, industry, and civil society.

5. Promote top quality legal writing with respect to law students and early-career legal academics.

The NLSIR Editorial Board is happy to invite original, unpublished manuscripts for consideration for the upcoming Volume 36(1) of the Journal. The deadline for submissions is 28th February 2024.

Submission Guidelines

All submissions, as a general rule, should conform to NLSIR’s mandate and aims and must have some relevance for Indian law.

Submissions may be made under any one of the following categories:

1. Long Article (5,000 to 10,000 words): Submissions in this category are expected to engage with a topic, and existing literature, comprehensively, and offer an innovative reassessment. Purely theoretical pieces, e.g., pieces on jurisprudence or legal philosophy, are also welcome.

2. Essay (3,000 to 5,000 words): Submissions in this category are much more concise and targeted in terms of issue identification and argumentation.

3. Legislative/Case Comment (2,500 to 5,000 words): Submissions in this category are supposed to critique a contemporarily relevant judicial pronouncement or legislative measure.

4. Book Review (2,000 to 3,000 words): Submissions in this category are supposed to engage with a recent book that is concerned with one or more legal issues.

Please note that all word limits are indicative in nature and exclusive of footnotes. The NLSIR Editorial Board is flexible with respect to the word count depending on the quality of the submission. Please refer to our submission guidelines for more information.

Submission Process

All submissions must be made via the NLSIR Digital Commons Repository. We do not accept submissions over email. We endeavour to revert to authors with the first round of editorial review within 4 weeks of submission.

Additional guidelines:

1. Please ensure that your submission is made as a Microsoft Word document (.docx).

2. The manuscript should be anonymised and should not contain any personal identifiers (e.g., author name, institutional affiliation, personal acknowledgements, etc.).

3. Manuscripts should be accompanied by a cover letter.

4. Manuscripts should be accompanied by an abstract of around 150 words.

Contact Details

For any queries and concerns, please contact us at mail.nlsir@gmail.com or visit our website.

NLSIR Online

NLSIR Online was launched as a companion blog to the NLSIR print journal in 2018. The goal of NLSIR Online is to provide a platform for concise, timely academic commentary on contemporarily relevant issues in the law that has relevance for Indian law. In terms of mandate, NLSIR Online mirrors the mandate of the print journal. We welcome submissions on all areas of the law, including case comments, interdisciplinary analyses, comparative studies, etc.

NLSIR Online Submission Guidelines:

1. Submissions should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words approximately. However, we are flexible with the word count depending on the quality of the submission.

2. The manuscript must be submitted via this Google Form. Current students at NLSIU, Bengaluru must submit their manuscripts via this special form.

3. Manuscripts must be submitted in a .docx (Microsoft Word) format.

4. Manuscripts must not contain any personal metadata or identifiers (e.g., author details, institutional affiliation, acknowledgements, etc.).

5. Co-authorship is permitted.

6. Submissions must be original and must not be under simultaneous consideration for publication on any other platform.

7. All references must be hyperlinked.

For additional details, please refer to the detailed NLSIR Online Submission Guidelines.

All manuscripts submitted to NLSIR Online undergo a round of review by the NLSIR Editorial Board. We are committed to reverting to authors with a decision on publication within two to three weeks. We invite submissions on a rolling basis and do not have any fixed submission deadline.

For any queries and concerns with respect to NLSIR Online, please contact us at nlsirevonline@gmail.com or visit our website.