Volume-VI (2023-24)

Prof. Priti Saxena 

Professor of Law, 

Vice Chancellor, HPNLU Shimla

Prof. Chanchal Kumar Singh

Professor of Law, HPNLU Shimla

Research and writing contribute to the overall development of discourse in any academic discipline. The writings maybe thematically contoured but the multiple themes converge to bring forth the canvas of the discourse. It is further, by way of research and writing that divergent view-points can be succinctly brought forth, thereby counter-inductively producing ripple effects for enhancing the existing discourse. Academic institutions play a crucial role to this end and journal publications are a tool towards the ideal.

It is in pursuit of this goal that Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla (HPNLU, Shimla) envisioned the publication of Shimla Law Review (ISSN – 2582-1903), a UGC-CARE listed journal. Since its inception, the Review has significantly contributed towards enhancement of academic discourse in the field of law by integrating discourses from other disciplines. Shimla Law Review is an open access law journal, which aims to facilitate the legal discourse facilitating barrier free dissemination of ideas.

The papers published in the past volumes, of the Law Review, have received accolade from academicians at home and abroad, bar & bench alike. Papers published in Shimla Law Review has been chosen as one of the best fifty-one papers published in English, under peer reviewed journals from across the world, in the decade, 2010-2020, by Cross Examination Debate Association, the United States. Some of the papers published in its previous Volumes have found place amongst the most downloaded papers in the category of ‘jurisprudence and theoretical inquiry’, from the SSRN database. The Journal has also been cited by Prof. I. P. Massey in his book on ‘Administrative Law’, which is one of the most popular, authentic, and cited work on the subject for the legal fraternity in India.

This Volume of the Review contains various themes such as: policy on artificial intelligence and its usage by courts in the US and implications for other jurisdictions; theoretical analysis and challenges for enforcement of socio-economic rights in liberal democracies; evolving strategies of affirmative actions and equitable inclusive society under the Constitution; rights of minorities and constitutional jurisprudence developed by the Supreme Court of India; right to privacy and state surveillance around the world; Judicial discretion and Civil Procedure; theoretical investigations as to the role ‘universal’ and ‘particular’ categories in the global human rights discourse and their legitimacy; taxation laws and its interface with agriculture and rising inequality, assessment of New Education Policy with respect to educational rights of disabled persons, etc. The diversity of contributions to the Review is reflected from the affiliations of its authors including the institutions and their academic and professional designations.

We look forward to more quality-global discourses in the future volumes of the Review. I am confident that the papers published in the present Volume would add to the existing debate in a more constructive manner while also paving the way for further debate and research.