HNLU Constitution@75 conclave: Justice Sam Koshy of Telangana High Court calls for balance in law enforcement

The Hidyatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur recently held a conclave on 'Navigating Good Governance: Constitution, Policy, and Inclusivity' as part of its Constitution@75 series..Telangana High Court judge, Justice Sam Koshy, who also serves as a member of the HNLU General Council, was among the dignitaries who spoke at the event. During his address, Justice Koshy called for a nuanced approach by law enforcement officers. He observed that police officers have a critical responsibility to uphold Constitutional ideals, particularly in regions prone to conflict and unrest. He further underscored the interplay between law enforcement and inclusivity, while advocating for a law enforcement approach that balances maintaining public order with the protection of individual rights."There has to be a normative and evaluative attitude in the institution of governance. Rule of law, full respect of human rights and effective participation of every section of society is the need of the hour. Therefore, to uphold the same efforts should be made towards transparency, accountability and multi agency participation," he added. .In his opening remarks, HNLU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. VC Vivekanandan touched upon five major challenges of inclusivity, listing caste discrimination, gender discrimination, religious equality, economic disparity and universal education. The Guest of Honour, Director General of Police (DGP) of Chhattisgarh, Ashok Juneja spoke on the common goal shared by the police and the Constitution in safeguarding justice and the rule of law. .The event featured two technical sessions. In the first session, Senior Advocate and Distinguished Jurist Professor at HNLU, PVS Giridhar touched upon the gains and challenges after 75 years since the inception of the Constitution of India. In the second session, Advocate Amit Pai spoke on the special status of women, children and the marginalized under the Constitution.The conclave was attended by 150 police officers officers led by ADG (Training) SRP Kalluri, apart from the students and faculty of HNLU..The Constitution@75 Series is curated and conducted by faculty at HNLU, namely Garima Panwar and Abhinav Shukla. The conclave was the second in a series of events planned by the HNLU's Schools of Law and Governance, Law and Technology under the Centers of Constitutional Law and Federalism and the Centre for Innovation and IP Policy. The series aims to produce educational toolkits, e-dockets and other research monographs.