About the Conference

The world is changing faster than the law that governs it. Artificial intelligence is entering courtrooms, workplaces and welfare offices. Millions of people are on the move as refugees and migrants. Populations are ageing, climate change is displacing communities, and personal data has become both an asset and a vulnerability. In the middle of all this stand the people whom legal systems have historically served the least: women and children, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, LGBTQI+ persons, refugees, migrants and the poor.

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development rests on one central promise: that no one will be left behind. This conference takes that promise seriously and asks a direct question. As technology, demography and the environment transform our societies, is law keeping its promise to the most vulnerable, and if not, what must change?

The Conference aligns closely with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Through its focus on inclusive governance, access to justice, protection of vulnerable populations, technological accountability, climate justice, migration, and social welfare, the Conference seeks to contribute to global conversations on building equitable, resilient, and rights-based societies.

Hosted in Bengaluru, India's leading hub for technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge industries, the Conference provides a timely platform to examine how law and governance can respond to the challenges and opportunities arising from rapid social, technological, and environmental transformation.

The conference deliberately brings many fields of law and policy onto one platform. A scholar of family law, a criminologist, a data protection researcher, a migration expert and a technology lawyer are all, in their own way, working on the same problem: how legal systems include or exclude people. By placing these conversations side by side, the conference seeks insights that no single field can produce alone. Papers are invited from scholars of law, political science, social work, public policy, economics, technology and related disciplines, from India and across the world.

Preference for grounded research: While doctrinal and theoretical papers are welcome, preference will be given to papers built on empirical analysis, field studies, surveys, case studies and comparative studies across countries. The organizers particularly encourage work that examines how laws operate in practice, in courtrooms, welfare offices, refugee camps, care homes, workplaces and online spaces, and what comparative experience from different jurisdictions can teach us.

Objectives of the Conference

1. To critically examine how legal systems across jurisdictions are responding to technological, demographic, environmental, and socio-economic transformations, and their implications for vulnerable and marginalized communities.
2. To provide an interdisciplinary and international platform for scholars, judges, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and civil society actors to engage in comparative dialogue on contemporary legal and governance challenges.
3. To promote empirical, field-based, and comparative legal research that evaluates the effectiveness of laws, policies, and institutions in advancing inclusion, equity, and access to justice.
4. To develop evidence-based policy recommendations for strengthening inclusive governance, protecting human rights, enhancing access to justice, and regulating emerging technologies in a rapidly changing world.
5. To foster international academic collaboration, knowledge exchange, and research partnerships, while contributing to a robust body of peer-reviewed scholarship on law, justice, and sustainable development.
6. To advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by encouraging research and dialogue on equality, inclusion, climate justice, strong institutions, and partnerships for sustainable and equitable development.

The Conference themes are designed to examine contemporary challenges affecting vulnerable and marginalized populations through the lenses of equality, welfare, migration, climate justice, technology governance, and inclusive legal institutions, thereby advancing the principles of social justice, human dignity, and sustainable development.

Conference Themes and Sub-themes

The Conference is organized around five broad and interdisciplinary themes that explore the intersections of law, justice, governance, technology, sustainability, and human rights in an era of global transformation. Scholars, practitioners, policymakers, judges, researchers, and students are invited to contribute under any of the themes listed below. The sub-themes are indicative and not exhaustive.

Publication Opportunity

Selected papers, after a rigorous double-blind peer-review process, will be considered for publication in reputed Scopus-indexed journals, a Scopus-indexed edited volume, or conference proceedings, subject to the editorial policies, peer-review requirements, and publication standards of the respective publisher. Publication decisions shall be based on the quality, originality, relevance, and scholarly merit of the submissions. Details regarding publication outlets and submission guidelines will be communicated to the authors of selected papers in due course.

Guidelines for Contributors and Participants

1. The Conference will be conducted in a hybrid mode. International presenters and participants may attend either online or in person. National presenters are encouraged to participate in person; however, online participation may be permitted in exceptional circumstances with prior approval of the Organizing Committee.
2. No presentation in absentia shall be permitted. At least one author must attend the Conference and present the paper in the designated session.
3. A maximum of two co-authors is permitted per paper. All authors and co-authors intending to attend the Conference or receive certificates must complete the registration process separately.
4. Interdisciplinary submissions are strongly encouraged. The Conference welcomes contributions from law, social sciences, public policy, governance, economics, management, environmental studies, technology, health sciences, and other related disciplines that engage with the Conference theme.
5. Preference will be given to empirical, field-based, comparative, and policy-oriented research. Papers drawing upon surveys, interviews, case studies, court records, fieldwork, social audits, comparative legal analysis, and interdisciplinary methodologies are particularly encouraged. Doctrinal and theoretical contributions are also welcome.
6. All submissions must represent original scholarly work and will be subjected to plagiarism screening. The similarity index should not exceed 10% (excluding references, quotations, and bibliography). The use of generative artificial intelligence tools for language assistance or research support must be appropriately disclosed where applicable. Papers lacking substantial human authorship, originality, or academic integrity may be rejected at any stage of the review process.
7. All registered presenters whose papers are accepted and presented at the Conference shall receive a ‘Certificate of Presentation’. Printed certificates will be provided to in- person presenters, while electronic certificates will be issued to online presenters.
8. Registered participants attending the Conference without presenting a paper shall receive a ‘Certificate of Participation’.
9. No Travel Allowance (TA), Daily Allowance (DA), or accommodation support shall be provided by the Organizing Committee. However, information regarding suitable accommodation options near the University campus will be made available upon request.
10. The decision of the Organizing Committee regarding acceptance of abstracts, scheduling of presentations, awards, certification, and related matters shall be final and binding.