Hon’ble Justice Mohan Peiris

Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York

Justice Peter Mohan Maithree Peiris, PC was the 43rd de facto Chief Justice of Sri Lanka. He previously held the post of Attorney General. President Maithripala Sirisena Ab initio his position in 2015, and will not be count as a Chief Justice of Sri Lanka. After qualifying, Peiris worked for senior lawyers Daya Perera and D. R. P. Gunatilleke. Peiris joined the Attorney General's Department in 1981 as a state counsel, later becoming a Senior State Counsel. He left the Attorney General's Department in 1996.

Peiris was appointed Attorney General on 18 December 2008. He withdrew murder charges in a case against former deputy minister Chandana Kathriarachchi and served an indictment on unlawful assembly for which the accused pleaded guilty. Furthermore, he withdrew a rape case against Government Party Parliamentarian Duminda Silva.

Peiris was appointed Senior Legal Officer to the Cabinet in September 2011. He became chairman of Seylan Bank in April 2012. He represented Sri Lanka in The UN Committee Against Torture in 2011 in which he said that the Sri Lankan government has received intelligence information that missing lankaenews cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda is living in a foreign country. However he concurred that he lied when he was summoned by a local court. Peiris was nominated to be Chief Justice by President Mahinda Rajapaksa following the controversial impeachment of Shirani Bandaranayake. The Parliamentary Council gave its approval for Peiris's appointment on 15 January 2013. On 28 January 2015, the Government of Sri Lanka acknowledged that the appointment of 44 Mohan Peiris as the Chief Justice was void at its inception as Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake was not impeached lawfully and therefore no vacancy existed for the post of Chief Justice. The paved way for Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake to resume duties as the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.

Prof. Thomas Pogge

Leitner Professor of Philosophy and Prof of Political Science, Yale University, USA

Thomas Winfried Menko Pogge is a German philosopher and is the Director of the Global Justice Program and Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale University. In addition to his Yale appointment, he is the Research Director of the Centre for the Study of the Mind in Nature at the University of Oslo, a Professorial Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University and Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Central Lancashire's Centre for Professional Ethics. Pogge is also an editor for social and political philosophy for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

Prof. (Dr.) Mahendra Pal Singh

Research Professor of Law, Distinguished Scholar in Public Law & Comparative Law,

Prof. (Dr.) Singh has delivered prestigious endowment and other lectures at several universities and academic institutions in India and abroad. He was Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Heidelberg, a visiting Professor and Head of Law Division at the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg and a visiting Professor at University of Heidelberg, University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Kansai University, Osaka, National University of Singapore and at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was a fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg. the Institute for Advanced Studies Berlin and at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

His publications include over one hundred papers in national and international legal journals and edited works and ten books including German administrative law in common law perspective, Freedom of trade and commerce in India, Comparative constitutional law, Shukla’s Constitution of India, Legal dimensions of market economy and Human Rights and Basic Needs. He has also been working on and collaborating in national and international research projects. Comparative public law including especially constitutional law, administrative law, human rights and legal systems are his major interests.

Prof. Richard Albert

William Stamps Farish Professor in Law, Professor of Government, and Director of Constitutional Studies, The University of Texas at Austin

Richard Albert is the William Stamps Farish Professor in Law, Professor of Government, and Director of Constitutional Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He teaches courses in constitutional law, publishes books and articles on constitutional amendment and constitutional change, and creates opportunities for scholars to collaborate in the study of public law. He holds law and political science degrees from Yale University, the University of Oxford and Harvard University and formerly served as a law clerk to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Professor Albert is Co-President of the International Society of Public Law, the world's largest and leading learned society for scholars in administrative, constitutional, and international law, as well cognate fields including economics, history, political science, and sociology. An elected member of the International Academy of Comparative Law, he has served on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Comparative Law. He is or has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Sections on Comparative Law, Constitutional Law, Law and Religion, Law and South Asian Studies, and Scholarship in the Association of American Law Schools.

He is also founder and director of the International Forum on the Future of Constitutionalism, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to marshal knowledge and experience to build a world of opportunity, liberty, and dignity for all. Professor Albert is co-editor of the Series in Comparative Constitutionalism at Oxford University Press, co-editor of the Series in Comparative Constitutional Change at Routledge, and co-editor of the Hart Studies in Latin American and Caribbean Constitutionalisms. He sits on the editorial boards of several journals including the International Journal of Constitutional Law, Revista de Investigações Constitucionais, Africa Journal of Comparative Constitutional Law, Romanian Journal of Comparative Law, Rivista of diritti comparati, Indian Constitutional Law Review, Legal Desire International Journal on Law and the International Journal of Comparative Legal Research.

Prof. Philippe Cullet

Professor of International and Environmental Law, SOAS University of London

Dr. Philippe Cullet is Professor of international and environmental law. He came to teach at SOAS with qualifications in law and development studies from Geneva University, London (King’s College and SOAS) and Stanford University. Philippe’s main areas of interest include environmental law, natural resources, human rights and the socio-economic aspects of intellectual property. He works on these at the international level and in India. His current research includes work on water law and governance with a particular focus on groundwater, drinking water, sanitation, inter-sectoral water allocation and institutional reforms in India; equity and justice in environmental law; biodiversity, including benefit sharing and biosafety; climate change; and justice, with a particular focus on environmental and water rights.

His monographs include Water Law, Poverty and Development – Water Law Reforms in India (Oxford University Press, 2009), Intellectual Property Protection and Sustainable Development (Butterworths, 2005) and Differential Treatment in International Environmental Law (Ashgate, 2003). His most recent edited books are Right to Sanitation in India – Critical Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 2019) [with L. Bhullar & S. Koonan eds] and Research Handbook on Law, Environment and the Global South (Edward Elgar, 2019) [with S. Koonan eds]. Philippe co-convenes the two postgraduate degrees in environmental law in the School of Law, the LLM and the MA in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development. He also the convenor of the Law, Environment and Development Centre (LEDC) and is the Editor of the Law, Environment and Development Journal (LEAD Journal), a peer-reviewed academic journal published at lead-journal.org. He is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. He has been closely involved in policymaking. He was the Convenor of the Sub-group on Legal Issues Related to Groundwater Management and Regulation of the Planning Commission of India that prepared the draft Model Bill for the Conservation, Protection and Regulation of Groundwater, 2011. In 2015-2017, he was a member of the committee of the Government of India's Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation drafting the Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016 and the Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Bill, 2017.

Dr. Umakanth Varottil

Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore

Umakanth Varottil specializes in corporate law and governance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. While his work is generally comparative in nature, his specific focus is on India and Singapore. He has co-authored or co-edited five books, published articles in international journals and founded the IndiaCorpLaw Blog. He has also taught on a visiting basis at law schools in Australia, India, Italy, New Zealand and the United States.

Umakanth is an editor of the Oxford Business Law Blog, Indian Law Review, Asian Journal of Comparative Law and Singapore Journal of Legal Studies. He is also a Research Member of the European Corporate Governance Institute. Prior to his foray into academia, Umakanth was a partner at a pre-eminent law firm in India. During that time, he was also ranked as a leading corporate/mergers & acquisitions lawyer in India by the Chambers Global Guide.

Prof. Sandeepa Bhat B.

Professor of Law and Director, Centre for Aviation & Space Laws, The WB National University of Juridical Sciences

Prof. (Dr.) Sandeepa Bhat started his academic career in 2003 at National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore and joined NUJS in 2007. Currently he is working as a Professor of Law at NUJS. He has done his specialization in International Law and Business and Trade Law (LL.M.) with First Rank and double gold medal at University of Mysore. He had also secured Third Rank at Mangalore University during his LL.B. and top scored his college to receive the gold medal. His Ph.D. is in the field of Space Law.

Dr. Bhat has the experience of researching on five Major Research Projects sponsored by World Bank, ISRO, the WB Judicial Academy, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Apart from being a member of Board of Advisors of Global Network against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, Brunswick, United States of America, he has the distinction of being the member of the American Society of International Law (ASIL), Baltimore, United States of America, International Academy of Space Law (IASL), Moscow, Russia, and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), Paris, France. Dr. Bhat is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Journal of Air and Space Law and Lex ad Coelum- a blog for discourse on aviation and space laws, and he is also associated with various other publications in different capacities.

Dr. Bhat has published four books on Space Law and three books on Medical Law. In addition, he has published more than fifty articles in the journals of international and national repute, which include Journal of Space Law (University of Mississippi), Annals of Air & Space Law (McGill University), New Space (Mary Ann Liebert), Proceedings of Colloquium on Law of Outer Space (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), Asia Pacific Journal of Health Law & Ethics (Ewha University), Sri Lanka Journal of International Law (University of Colombo), Latin American Journal of Aeronautical Law (Argentina), Athens Journal of Law, Kathmandu School of Law Review, BiLD Law Journal and Asian Journal of Air and Space Law.

Dr. Stellina Jolly

Associate Professor, South Asian University, New Delhi Visiting Senior Research Associate, University of Johannesburg, South Africa Fulbright Fellow: University of San Francisco, USA

Dr. Stellina Jolly is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Legal Studies, South Asian University (SAU). She is a Visiting Senior Research Associate with the Centre for Emerging Countries in Private international law at the University of Johannesburg. A Fulbright Scholar with the University of San Francisco and a recipient of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) research in international environmental law and conflict of laws. She is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and part of the Network of Environmental Champions, Asian Development Bank. Her books and writings include ‘ Indian Private International Law (Hart 2021); ‘Climate Refugees in South Asia: Protection Under International Legal Standards and State Practices in South Asia’(Springer 2019); 'Private International Law: South Asian States' Practice,' (Springer 2017); She has undertaken projects and consultancies with various organizations, including Asian Development Bank (ADB) the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, European Union, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), etc. She was awarded an educational grant on Civil Society Law from International Centre for Not for Profit Law (ICNL) and USAI

Prof. Srividhya Ragavan

Professor of Law and Director of India Programs, Texas A&M University School of Law, USA

Srividhya Ragavan is a Professor of Law at the Texas A&M University School of Law and the Faculty Director of the School’s India Program. Ragavan is attached to the Center for Learning Intellectual Property Rights. Ragavan’s research emphasizes issues relating to international trade law and intellectual property rights. Ragavan’s monograph Patents and Trade Disparities in Developing Countries was published by the Oxford University Press. Ragavan’s co-edited book with Irene Calboli titled Diversity in Intellectual property was published by Cambridge University Press. Her book with Amaka Vanni titled Intellectual Property Law And Access To Medicine: TRIPS Agreement, Health, And Pharmaceuticals is forthcoming with Routledge in 2021. She has authored numerous papers, law reviews and book chapters on a variety of issues relating to intellectual property law, traditional knowledge, pharmaceutical patenting and agricultural subsidies. Sri Ragavan has been regularly featured in op-eds in several Indian media such as Hindu Business Line, The Hindu, DNA, LiveMint and also the All India Radio. She has also represented in support of India’s position involving access to medication issues with the US International Trade Commission and at the Office of the US Trade Representative.

Prof. Ragavan is the ADVANCE Administrative Fellow of Texas A&M University in 2021-22. She was a recipient of the PESCA Grant in 2017. She also a recipient of the GIAN Grant from the Ministry of Human Resource, Government of India. Sri Ragavan’s work can be found in the SSRN and BePress Page. Srividhya was attached with the National Law School of India University, Bangalore in 2011 as the Fulbright Nehru CORE Scholar. In 2013, Srividhya became a Fulbright Specialist for the South Asia Region and was associated with the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Studies in Bangalore. In 2017, Ragavan received the GIAN (Global Initiative of Academic Networks) Grant from the Ministry of Human Resource, Government of India. Prof. Ragavan graduated with a BA. LLB (Honors) from the National Law School of India University in Bangalore where she was a merit certificate holder. Further, Ragavan received the Overseas Development Agency Shared Scholarship Scheme (ODASS Scholarship) administered by the Administration of Commonwealth Universities to pursue her LL.M from King's College, University of London. Later, Ragavan completed her SJD from the George Washington University Law School. Ragavan was the First Texas Instruments Visiting Scholar at the Center for Advanced Study & Research on Intellectual Property at the University of Washington at Seattle.

Prof. P. Leelakrishnan

Former Dean and Emeritus Fellow, Cochin University of Legal Studies, Kerala

Professor P Leelakrishnan is PhD in Administrative Law from London School of Economics (LSE). He also taught law at cochin University of Science and Technology for 30 years. As head of the department, Dean and emeritus Fellow in Cochin University of Legal Studies, he has authored several books and research papers. He has had a versatile career as a lawyer, research, writer and professor.

Prof. Lakshmi Jambholkar

Honorary Professor Emeritus at NLU, Jodhpur and Honorary Professor at GNLU, Gandhinagar

Professor Lakshmi Jambholkar taught in the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi with expertise in the field of Private International Law, for a period of 30 years. She served as Member,Law Commission of India and also as a Member of National Legal Services Authority of India.She has contributed extensively on Conflict of Law issues in reputed journals in India and abroad. She has also examined NRI issues concerning marriage , divorce and child custody. Also an extensive report on these issues has been submitted to the Government. She was Advisor for NRI issues to the National Commission for Women. She has delivered special lectures at various National Law University Schools all over India and has been honoured as Professor Emeritus at Jodhpur National Law University, Honorary Professor for Research at GNLU, and visiting professor for Symbiosis Law University.

Adjunct Faculties

Chetan Singai, PhD

Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences Deputy Director, Ramaiah Public Policy Center, Bengaluru

Dr. Chetan Singai has obtained his doctoral degree (PhD) from the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru, India. His doctoral thesis was on ‘Higher Education and University Governance in India: A case study of public and private university. He completed his MPhil in Law and Governance at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Dr Chetan received his master’s in political science from the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He received the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Scholarship to pursue Master's in Lifelong Learning: Policy and Management, joint degree from University of London (UK), University of Aarhus (Denmark) and University of Deusto (Spain).

Dr. Chetan has worked as Assistant Professor at the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru and St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Bengaluru. He has been DAAD visiting- faculty Julius-Maximilians-University of Wurzburg, Germany from 2014 to 2017. He is a recipient of the Social Justice Medal awarded by the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India for his service towards Human Rights and Women Empowerment by the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India in 2007.

Dinesha Samararatne,

Senior Lecturer, Dept of Public & International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Dr. Dinesha Samararatne is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Public & International Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Her recent research work has been in relation to public participation in constitution-making, constitutional resilience, women and constitutional law, fourth branch institutions and the relevance of the global south in comparative constitutional law. Dinesha has published in the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Asian Journal of Comparative Law, Journal of Law and Society, Indian Law Review, Asian Journal of Law and Society, the Modern Law Review and the Journal of Asian Studies. Dinesha is a Senior Research Associate, Laureate Program in Comparative Constitutional Law, a member of the Editorial Board of the Indian Law Review and has served as a Co-Editor of the IACL Blog (2019-2021). At the Melbourne Law School, she has been Postdoctoral Fellow (2019-2020) and Kathleen Fitzpatrick Visiting Fellow (April – May 2018). She serves in a voluntary capacity as a member of the Editorial Board of the Indian Law Review, is a Senior Research Associate of the Laureate Program in Comparative Constitutional Law and Co-Convenor of Constitution Transformation Network (CTN) of the Melbourne Law School, Australia.