CCV RGNUL Organises 7-Day Capacity Building Program [17-23 January 2022]
With an objective to explore unconventional paradigms vital for deconstructing Criminal Law, enhance knowledge, skills and performance of researchers and academicians, the Centre for Criminology, Criminal Justice and Victimology RGNUL, Punjab organized 7-day Capacity Building Programme on "Critical Criminal Law" from 17th – 23rd January 2022. Prof. G.S. Bajpai, Vice-Chancellor, RGNUL; Prof. Robert Peacock, President, World Society of Victimology; Advocate Sidharth Luthra, Supreme Court of India and Prof. B. B Pande, University of Delhi addressed the delegates during the inaugural session.
While welcoming the resource persons and delegates to the online Capacity Building Program, Prof. G.S. Bajpai, RGNUL emphasized the need for utilizing alternative approaches to push boundaries and scope of Criminal Law. He also delved into the diverse range of theories that provide innovative ways to examine crime, punishment and justice. Expanding on the contemporary critical criminal law, Prof. Bajpai said that it entailed various critiques and provided new areas of focus. He said, "The operations of Criminal Law can be greatly be improved through the use of critical perspectives."
Adv. Sidharth Luthra focused on the need to recalibrate functioning of criminal Law in times of digitization and pandemic. Talking about "Emerging Dimensions in Criminal Laws," Mr. Luthra alluded to the delay in processing of bail application. He also talked about traditional parameters of assessing crime that were abhorrent to rule of law. "In the digital times lampooning of legitimate acts, dismantling of evidential and procedural law, criminalization of conduct and lack of legal mechanism to regulate virtual conferencing during the pandemic are areas of great concerns," he said. Mr. Luthra spoke about the emerging challenges to legal practitioners and academicians in the field of Criminal Law. He accentuated the need to empower researchers, lawyers and faculty with skills to understand the new developments.
Prof. Robert Peacock delved into the genesis of crime and nature of justice in his lecture titled "Critical Perspectives on Evolution of Criminal Law." Speaking about expiation, penitence and importance of cultural context while investigating truth, Prof. Peacock alluded to overpolicing and decolonization of western institutions of Law. "Justice is often misconstrued as punishment," he said. "The critical strands of criminology add new perspectives to probe secondary victimization," Prof. Peacock added.
Prof. B.B. Pande focussed the necessity of going beyond normative law and fostering skills to analyze the black letter law. He spoke about the Marxist radical model of criminology. "To ensure justice to victims/ marginalized, judges and academicians have to develop critical skills," said Prof. Pande.
Notable speakers of various sessions for the week-long program include, Prof. Jeeva Niriella, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka; Mr. Kapil Sankhla, Advocate, Supreme Court of India; Prof. Martha Minow, Former Dean, Harvard Law School; Prof. Tom Ellis, Principle Lecturer, University of Portland, United Kingdom; Dr. G.K. Goswami, IPS, ADG, ATS, Uttar Pradesh; Dr. J.M. Vyas, Vice-Chancellor, National Forensic Sciences University, Gujarat; Prof. Alan Norrie, University of Warwick, UK and Dr. Purvi Pokhariyal, National Forensic Sciences University, Gujarat. Delegates from around the globe attended the virtual program.