LSAC Global announces Winners of the 2021 Shamnad Basheer Access to Justice Scholarship

LSAC Global has announced Aditya Panuganti as the winner of this year’s Shamnad Basheer Access to Justice Scholarship, with an award worth INR 4 lakhs..As per a press release issued by LSAC Global, Aditya’s essay on ‘AI in law: A case of caution’ stood out from the 260 entries received..The theme of the essay this year was, the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the legal profession and whether it promotes justice and diversity in the society. .The Shamnad Basheer Access to Justice Scholarship was introduced by LSAC Global in 2020, with the objective of increasing opportunities for talented students and law school aspirants in India by furthering the mission to promote equality, access and equity in law and education. .This is an initiative to honour the memory of (Late) Professor Shamnad Basheer, a legal doyen who pioneered various discourses on intellectual property law and policy in India. As part of efforts to increase diversity in the legal fraternity, Prof Basheer also set up the IDIA, a non-profit organization to empower underprivileged children in India by granting them better access to quality legal education..The present Scholarship is based on an essay competition which awards a maximum of INR 4 lakhs for the winning essay entry from a registered LSAT—India candidate who takes admission into a LSAC Global Alliance college..On receiving news of winning the scholarship, Aditya expressed gratitude for the opportunity.. “I am thankful for the opportunities and lessons LSAT—India has presented to me. The Shamnad Basheer Essay Scholarship Competition was delightful; the competition reaffirmed my affection towards the subject of law and provided an opportunity to prove my mettle", he said. .The First Runner Up position was awarded to Devangi Dube..“The topic for the Essay Scholarship was well thought out and relevant. I thoroughly enjoyed researching and writing about the same. The valuable support provided by LSAT—India is highly appreciated", she commented.Dayaanitaa, who was awarded the Second Runner Up position, was equally excited to receive an honorable mention, and expressed gratitude for the smooth conduct of the LSAT India exam in its entirety.An esteemed panel of judges reviewed the entries on the basis of originality, relevance to the topic, comprehensiveness, structure, analysis, understanding, interpretation, and conclusions regarding diversity in the legal profession. .The panel included: Abhishek Dubey Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, Dr. Ananth Padmanabhan, Associate Professor and Dean, School of Law, Sai University, Prof. (Dr.) R. Venkata Rao, Former, Vice Chancellor of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, Sumeet Malik, Director, EBC Group of Companies, Tanuj Kalia, Founding CEO, Lawctopus, Prof. (Dr.) V.C. Vivekanandan, Vice Chancellor, Hidayatullah National Law University, Advocate Angesh Panchal, Independent Legal Practitioner, Prof (Dr.) Kanu Priya, Professor and Associate Dean, School of Law, Sushant University, Kazim Rizvi, Founding Director - The Dialogue, Dr. Nachiketa Mittal, Professor of Law and Director at Faculty of Law, Jagran Lakecity University, Founder - Virtual Law School, Judicial Preparation & Advisory Center, Prof. Padmanabha Ramanujam, Dean, IFIM Law School..LSAT—India is a standardized test to measure skills that are considered essential for success in law school and is created for admission to law schools in India by the Law School Admission Council, USA (LSAC).