Message from the

Director

A very hearty welcome to the First Batch of BBA LLB in the Jadcherla Campus

of NMIMS!

I am happy to be part of the e-Newsletter released by the School of Law from

NMIMS (Deemed to be University), Hyderabad campus. The term e-News is

very intriguing. It sounds like Breaking News. In fact, many a times, Breaking

News is the starting point of arguments, legal debates in campuses, in corporate

circles, social media platforms and of course, finally, in court rooms. The

culmination of various activities like debates, seminars, campus gossip, guest

speaker opinions, wrapping of Cross Words in legal domain are salient features

of this e-Newsletter initiative.

The slogan of ‘Think Global and Act Local’ has given rise to think about Legal

Education and started serious efforts to study other jurisdictions which initially

was an intellectual curiosity. The global business expansion of private and state-

led corporations made it as a necessity for legal practitioners who involve in

business law practice to study other jurisdictions. The non-business segment of

lawyering also gained traction in mapping issues of human rights, refugee

issues, gender, privacy,

LGBT rights, transparency in governance, global health, environment and list is

unending in the competitive era.

Happy Lawyering for the wellbeing of humanity. Dr Ravi Kiran,

Director i/c NMIMS Hyderabad Campus

Message from the Dean

School of Law, Hyderabad is aspiring to be a prominent face in legal education.

Our first batch has been consistently showing eagerness to learn and apply the

law.

This newsletter is a result of students’ efforts to communicate their experiences

to a wider audience. I wish and hope it gets the deserved appreciation and

applause.

All the very best.

Dr. Silla Ramsundar Professor & Associate Dean, SoL, Hyderabad

Photo Top: Left to right: Dr. Alok Misra,

Dean SoL NMIMS; Dr. Silla Ramsundar

Professor & Associate Dean, SoL NMIMS

Hyderabad

CONTENTS:

1. Message from The Director

2. Life at Law School

- Breaking the Ice:

Orientation Day &

Freshers’ Day

- Nirvahana

- Advantage Moot Court

- NMPL 4.0

- Youth for Human Rights

- Discovering the District

Court!

- Getting Festive!

- Tryst with Symbiosis

Law School

- Forging Friendships

3. From the Classroom

- Private Member Bill

4. Important Legal Milestones

- Abrogation of Article

370

- Citizenship

(Amendment) Bill, 2019

(CAB)

- Babri Masjid

5. Visiting Experts

- Mr. Basava Rao

- Mr. Mayur Patnala

- Mr. Vijayendra

Kommalapati

- Mr. Vikas Chowdary

6. Viewpoint: Feminism

7. Crossword

8. Glimpses

9. Covid Corner

10. Solutions to Crossword

Credits: Content & Design: Vedha Srinivasan (Convenor, Publication Committee);

Logo: Gayathri Praharshita (President SOL) & Sai Amith (Convenor, Publication

Committee)

Contributions (alphabetically): Diya Kabra, Erwin Thomas Wilson, Gayathri Praharshita

(President SOL), Krishna Chaitanya, Parvathi PK, Sini Sunny, Sreekar Janamanchi and

Vaishnav Reddy.

Reflexion Official newsletter of School of Law, NMIMS Hyderabad

Volume 1, August 2020

The Student Engagement Workshop (GET-SET-

GO) was conducted over two days (23rd and 26th

July, 2019). Meaningful messages were passed on

through the screening of “All Rise for Your

Honour” – a documentary on the issues

surrounding access to justice in the country and

‘Inherit the Wind’ a movie based on the

prosecution of a teacher for teaching Darwin’s

theory of evolution when there was a law against

it.

The highlight of the Orientation Week was when

Hon’ble District Judge, Mahbubnagar arranged for

the students to get an opportunity to interact with

the Public Prosecutor after they witnessed his

proceedings in a trial court a court in the District

Court.

Later, the Seniors welcomed the Juniors on board

by organizing a Freshers’ Day. Camaraderie set in

with ease. The students settled into the academic

routine even as the Management addressed out the

infrastructural and other needs. In fact, it may not

be incorrect to say that it was a joint learning

curve – one that strengthened the bond between

the students and the Alma Mater.

Breaking the Ice:

Orientation Day & Freshers’ Day

The Sheen of the redoubtable Narsee Monjee

Brand. A course that beckoned. A destination that

was an unknown entity: Jadcherla, Telangana.

This was the BBA LLB (H) program that Dr

Prithvi Yadav, Campus Director, inaugurated in

the presence of Dr. Silla Ramsundar, Associate

Dean, Dr. Ravi Kiran, Deputy Director, members

of the faculty and administration on 22nd July

2019.

Dr Yadav warmly welcomed the students of the

first batch of BBA, LL. B (H) (as well as their

families) at NMIMS School of Law, Hyderabad.

The students hailed from different parts of the

country. United in their objective to etch a

successful career for themselves in the Legal

Profession under one of the most prestigious

umbrellas in academia; striving to understand the

importance of being the first batch. Dr Yadav

transparently addressed issues while interacting

with the students and parents and assured them

quality and state-of-the -art infrastructural support.

Sessions by Prof. Balakrishna Reddy, Registrar,

Nalsar, Dr. B. Ebenezer, Principal, SVKM school

(Conflict Management Strategies & Emergence of

Intent in Crime), Dr. G. Radhakrishna, Faculty,

NMIMS School of Business and Management,

Shri Sanjay Ram, Project Co-Ordinator, Indian

Development Foundation (IDF’s anti-leprosy

movement) held all spellbound. What was

especially inspiring for the students to be.

addressed by a Former Judge: Justice B. Prakash

Rao, Former Judge, Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Life at Law School

Advantage Moot Court

For us law students, moots are the preparation for

war in the outer world. Thanks to NMIMS and the

faculty members, they prepare us for the real-

world courts by introducing us to different moot

problems right in the first year.

Every time when we analyze and prepare for the

moot, we learn something new.

We've been introduced to the moot court and

problem at the very beginning, this gave us an

edge over the others.

NMPL 4.0

“Victory is in the quality of competition and not in

the final score”.

Encouraging one and all to adopt sports as an

integral part of routine to discipline oneself, to

persevere to meet a goal, strengthen relations,

instill self-confidence and above all release stress,

anxiety and felicitate emotional stability and

resilience. NMPL 4.0 - A three-day high-octane

sporting drama by Nthuz was held on 14th,15th &

16th January 2019 with great zeal, excitement and

frolicsome atmosphere. To make it bigger, Team

Nthuz has introduced Volleyball alongside Cricket

and Football. NMPL had everything in it from

high adrenaline rush, nerve shredding thrills to

infinite euphoria all around.

Nirvahana

Nirvahana is a signature event of NMIMS that

boosts the enthusiasm of every NMIMS student. It

is conducted once every year, and invites famous

celebrities to host certain events.

This year, too, Nirvahana was a three-day event-

the first day being allotted for the students of

NMIMS to get on to their toes and take part in as

many events they find exciting. Close on the heels

of the Intra-collegiate events, the second day

ushered in Inter-collegiate events, with

participants and students from other colleges and

cities in events and the last day that’s congregating

in the NMIMS, Jadcherla Campus.

The third day was dedicated to all the fun one

could hope for. Characterised by lip smacking

snacks and captivating decorations, the day was

dedicated to partying. It epitomized joy,

camaraderie, vigor, laughter. A Ramp walk

Performance by in-house aspirants. Added to that

was the sheer joy enjoyment of noted Rahul Dua

who truly lifted up the spirits of all with his

eccentric humor. Nirvahana ended on a magical

note as everyone grooved to the pulsating music of

the Herfunmola Band followed by DJ Akhil. The

extravaganza was indeed a celebration of

harmony, hard work, fun, and happiness.

Life at Law School (Contd.)

Youth for Human Rights On 10th December 2019, the first UG Batch of the

Jadcherla Campus celebrated the Hu man Rights

Day., a day when the UN General Assembly adopted,

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

This document (available in 500+ languages)

proclaims the inalienable rights which everyone is

inherently entitled to as a human being regardless of

race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other

opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or

other status.

Significantly –this time the theme was Youth

Standing Up for Human Rights. As the Youth, we

committed to stand up for our own rights and those of

others; to take action in our own daily lives.

The campaign, led by the Office of the High

Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), is

designed to encourage, galvanize, and showcase how

youth all over the world. Closer home, the students of

the School of Law, NMIMS, were invited to the

District Court, Mahbubnagar. The students of our

Law School spoke about topics such as Online Cyber

Bullying, Importance if Human Rights Day, how to

deal with crimes against women. The Secretary of the

District Legal Service Authority personally interacted

with us, and shared his knowledge about Legal Aid,

and requested us to be a part of it.

We also entertained the Local School going

children by conducting a Quiz which helped them

gain knowledge about Human Rights. We

reaffirmed our commitment to being constructive

agents of change, amplifying the voices, and

promoting and protecting human rights.

Discovering the District Court!

We visited the Mahbubnagar district court a

couple of times. Each visit to the court opened

new worlds that need to be discovered. Every visit

to the court helped our students have a valuable

time and learn a lot of things. The students had

live interactions with judges and senior advocates.

They were allowed to see the court proceedings

and observe the decorum of the court. Our

students also had interactions with the chairman

and representatives of District Legal Services

Authority (DLSA).

Our students were also allowed to see and observe

the proceedings of Lok Adalat and learned how

cases were dealt and reached to a conclusion

outside the court. In whole, each visit was proved

to be fruitful for the students. Our students

participate in many activities organized by DLSA.

They also asked us to participate in a film that

spread the awareness of legal help that is assured

by DLSA to the people who is deprived of it.

Life at Law School (Contd.)

Getting Festive!

Getting to know one’s own culture and the

others cultures is an important part of an

individual’s growth. Celebrations are the

biggest milestones of cultural continuity.

Understanding the significance of celebration,

the college encourage the students to actively

participate in various festivals.

Last year on August 24th Nexus the Cultural

Committee conducted Janmashtami

Celebration, the birthday of Lord Krishna at the

campus. The ceremony started off with aarti

and followed by dahi handi competition

between MBA and UG students. This

celebration developed team building and

competitive spirit among students. The students

delved into the religious and cultural aura

which the celebration brought.

September ushered in Ganesh Chaturthi,

one of the most colorful festivals marked by sweets,

music, colorful rangoli and traditional attire. Celebrated

with much excitement and fun, Ganesh Chaturthi honors

Lord Ganesha. Lights and flowers adorned the floor and

walls of NMIMS. The customary idol was installed with

great enthusiasm abiding the Hindu ritual.

Students performed the evening aarti and the very well-

known Ganesh “visarjan” is carried out where the send-

off of the Lord Ganesha’s idol is made into water. The

most interesting part is that although the “visarjan” and

rituals get completed the energy remains.

On September 18th Team Nexus organized an

exceptionally amazing event on the auspicious occasion

of Onam. The campus was decorated with “pookalam”,

the characteristic flower carpet. Onam songs were played

in the background, while students came dressed in their

best traditional wear. The highlight however was the

Pookalam Competition held by the students followed by

many fun games. MBA students also performed

traditional Thiruvathira Dance. This harvest festival of

Kerala brings a divine message of unity in diversity.

Life at Law School (Contd.)

Tryst with Symbiosis Law School

The first UG batch of NMIMS School of Law, Hyderabad got

a taste for inter collegiate dynamics at an event held in

Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad. This was held on the 7th

of September, 2019.

We had taken part in many panel discussions, debates and

lectures given by high court judges and many other advocates.

We had discussions on many topics like “Constitutional

Morality and Public Morality: An Analysis of Recent

Supreme Court Judgements” and “As the 4th Estate of a

Democracy, is the Media influenced or Influencing?” etc.

The sessions were very thought-provoking and provided us

with a great amount of knowledge. It was a great experience

for the BBA LLB Students of NMIMS, Jadcherla Campus.

Life at Law School (Contd.)

Forging Friendships Hardly a week since students joined college, and

we got to celebrate Friendship day, building

relationships by promising to love and respect each

other. The celebration was pivotal in our lives…

uniting strangers from across the country in a haven

in Jadcherla. From classmates, to friends, and now-

family, we’ve sure come a long way.

Model United Nations In the global village, one is never too young to express

opinions on global issues and solidarity. The Model

United Nations (MUN) is a melting pot where students

of divergent viewpoints congregate. Two students of

BBA LLB, NMIMS Hyderabad made their presence felt

in the UN HRC Committee, whose Agenda was

“protecting human rights of women children during

armed conflicts”. Sarthak Godiyal was a delegate from

DPRK and Harshita Verma was a delegate of Turkey.

Important Legal Milestones

• Agreed, Corona regulations and restrictions have taken

the limelight, but what else happened in 2019-2020?

• Article 370 of the Constitution, which endowed special

status on J&K, was abrogated. Several politicians are

still in detention. Internet access has not been

completely restored.

• The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) amended the

Citizenship Act, 1955 by providing a path to Indian

citizenship for illegal migrants of Hindu, Sikh,

Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious

minorities, who had fled persecution from Pakistan,

Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014.

• Supreme Court delivered the final judgment in

Ayodhya issue. The land was directed to be handed

over to a trust for constructing a Ram Janmabhoomi

temple.

• Supreme Court held that office of CJI falls under RTI

Act.

• The Supreme Court sent the Sabarimala judgment for

consideration by a larger bench.

• The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 has been

tabled in the Parliament.

• Encounters - Two widely discussed encounters

happened in Disha case and Vikas Dubey’s case.

• Widespread protests against draft Environment Impact

Assessment Notification.

• Two laws that we have heard the most during Covid -

Epidemic Diseases Act, NDMA.

• Cases to watch in SC - Sabarimala review, J&K

constitutionality, electoral bonds.

• Political Drama we followed closely - Rajasthan

defection scenario and constitutional roles of Governor,

Speaker, High Court and Supreme Court.

• Noteworthy High Court decisions - Kerala High

Court held that access to internet is a fundamental

right. Uttar Pradesh High Court directed removal of

hoardings which had named people who were

arrested during CAA protests.

• Unnecessary sensationalism? - Sushant Singh

Rajput’s death by suicide invited allegations of

suspicion over several people. It also involved

jurisdictional issues surrounding CBI, Bihar and

Maharashtra police.

Private Member Bill

Private Member's Bill in a parliamentary system of

government is a bill (proposed law) introduced into

a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on

behalf of the executive branch. The designation

"private member's bill" is used in most Westminster

System jurisdictions, in which a "private member"

is any member of parliament (MP) who is not a

member of the cabinet (executive).

Of the 300 or so Private Members' Bills introduced

in the Lok Sabha, barely 4% were discussed; 96%

lapsed without even a single debate in the House.

Till date, Parliament has passed 15 Private

Members' Bills. Five of these were passed in 1956

alone and After 47 years of passing the last bill, the

Supreme Court (Enlargement of Criminal Appellate

Jurisdiction) Bill, 1968 that became an Act on 9

August 1970; Rajya Sabha has passed the Rights of

Transgender Persons Bill, 2019.

The Rajya Sabha spends 24% of its time in

deliberating and passing laws. And an additional 3.5

% is spent on Private Member’s Bills, which have

rarely translated into laws though.

From the Classroom

Visiting Experts

Mr. Basava Rao shared his valuable insights on the

life that a corporate lawyer would lead. He

mentioned a lot of important traits that we, as law

students, are required to develop. The session was

very jovial and the students enjoyed the Open

Discussion that ensued. Several myths about life

after law school were debugged and we got a clear

picture of what to aim for and the means to achieve

it. All in all, we loved how interactive and

informative the session was and are looking

forward to having him with us again.

Mr. Vijayendra Kommalapati is a retired Software

Engineer, and now focuses on “Life Hacking” and

is a freelance researcher. He spends most of his time

sharing his knowledge on Life Hacking.

Life Hacking is not expecting wealth as the sole

outcome of what you do, but expecting inner

satisfaction and eventually wealth would be one of

its outcomes. It is basically about manifesting your

dreams and embracing the positivity in your life. It

can be a very important part of our life and we can

be happy in the future if we follow it.

Mr. Vijayendra Kommalapati

Mr. Mayur Patnala is a founder of an organization

called Nirmaan. He told us how a group of college

students got together, had a common vision in

mind (to have a well-educated society) and actually

started an Organization that focuses their work in

areas of Education, Skill Development &

Entrepreneurship and Social Leadership.

He kept reminding us, that we are the future and

the assets of the nation, and we should not be

vulnerable to the negativity around us. He wanted

us to give back to Janma Bhoomi (place we’re born

in), and Karma Bhoomi (the place where our duty

lies).

Mr. Vikas Chowdary is an Educationist and

strategy consultant, working towards the vision

2020 of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He says that the

insights that matter not the information that you

deliver.

He countered the notion “big eats away the small”

and said “the fast eats away the slow”. He asked to

stop competing and comparing and instead work

with compassion and cooperation and the only

person you can compete with is yourself; the rest

are just support systems.

Mr. Vikas Chowdary

Mr. Mayur Patnala

Mr. Basava Rao

#MeToo Movement - Prof. Sridip Nambiar (SoL, NMIMS, Hyderabad)

#MeToo movement is symbol of women empowerment in the face of persistent institutional abuse against women. Spaces like home and workplace have traditionally been male bastions, especially in India. Relationships in these spaces are based on regressive attitudes (“How dare she say No to me?” “It is easy for a woman to get a promotion.”). It is a challenge for any legal system to acknowledge and act on these relationships because of the rigours of evidence (“what is the proof?”) and limitation (“why did you take so long to come forward?”). India has tried to respond to these challenges through specific legislations (PWDVA and POSH). But many issues remain unresolved. Though false allegations should be weeded out, we need to respect the victim’s choices about calling out her current/former employer. Any legal response, thus, should be based on such respect and not on habitual suspicion.

Gender Redefined - Erwin Thomas Wilson

“Gender equality is the unfinished business of the 21st century” – Elizabeth Broderick.

Gender which is purely a biological trait which helps to distinguish between male and female but it also has been used as a tool or means to divide the society from time immemorial. Gender helped the people to divide the society and to assign the duties to the people. Our country has had the worst gender discrimination in the world. Till the early 19th century, widows were even thrown into their husbands’ pyres.

India, despite attributing the status of goddesses to women, remains a male dominant society where women are treated as maids, ornamental dolls, trash or sex toys. Globally, women have suffered long periods of discrimination and humiliation.

By the 20th century, many revolutions began, ushering in Feminism. Social & political movements began, struggling to establish political, economic, personal and social equality of the sexes. These movements helped Indian women gain an honourable status in the society, uplifting them from the quagmire and initiating laws and programs.

The need of the hour is gender equality – not the elimination of each other and struggling to establish dominance over each other. Therefore, we should redefine gender and use it as a biological trait to distinguish men and women not as a tool to divide the society.

Not All Men Are the Same. - Krishna Chaitanya

We live in a society where men are always judged. In our country women are considered Goddesses. A woman is given more importance than a man and has many rights and laws to protect herself from all the mala-fide intentions of men.

But, what do men get in return: allegations and accusation? Few women use these laws to discommode a man; as if they are misusing the laws that are meant to protect them!

In India, many women falsely accuse men of molestation/harassment/rape, stripping them of their character. They become ineligible for either trust or respect. Are women using feminism as a weapon to abase men and cause irreparable damage to their image in the society?

In case a man and a woman fell in love and stayed together, there may be a day when the woman wants to get rid of the man. She could easily make a false accusation of rape and harassment, devastating him!

Marital rape is not recognized as a crime in India due to the fear of misuse of such a law even in consensual intercourse between the couple under certain circumstances (extra-marital affair of wife etc.). Many politicians, celebrities and professionals are falsely accused of sexual misconduct by women who extort them for money.

It is important to remember that Feminism is about gender equality and empowerment of women - not creating hatred towards men.

Viewpoint- #MeToo

Crossword

Across

4. The act of uniting parties or causes of action to a

lawsuit.

6. To list or enrol the jurors who have been selected

for a trial.

7. The process by which a deceased person’s

property goes to the state if no heir can be found.

9. gift A gift made in a will to a person who has died

prior to the will-maker’s death.

11. To force someone to act against his or her wishes,

through the use of verbal or physical threats or other

forms of compulsion.

13. The lowest number of qualifying people needed

for a meeting to be able to make a decision.

Down

1. A trail that has been made invalid.

2. A complaint; an allegation that someone has committed

some injury or injustice that deserves recompense.

3. In anti-trust law, a remedy in which the court orders a

defendant to sell off assets and property.

5. Antagonistic; acting like an enemy.

8. opportunity given to a defending party to respond to and

refute the arguments presented by the presenting the case.

10. alleged; supposed; reputed.

12. Someone who helps another person to commit a crime.

14. To voluntarily give up a legal right or claim.

16. Statements made by witnesses who have taken an oath

or affirmed that they tell the truth.

17. Unimportant; not serious; lacking in substance.

18. Spoken defamation which tends to injure a person's

reputation.

15. Burden, a duty of responsibility.

19. A lawyer, usually a solicitor, who is authorized to

certify documents, take affidavits and swear oaths.

Click here to attempt crossword.

Glimpses

“There is less social interaction through online

classes so our professors tried to be creative and

more interactive throughout the sessions which was

fun. Altogether online sessions were pretty helpful

considering the current scenario of pandemic.”

- Parvathy PK, BBA LLB (H)

“It’s very difficult to cope up with the Online

Classes as I was not prepared, but now I am

managing with it!!”

- Sini Sunny, BBA LLB (H)

“Guess it was well-managed and all though there

was some confusion initially, the Course Plan was

implemented with consistency.

- Sreekar Janamanchi, BBA LLB (H)

C vid

C rner

“Actually, I did not like Online Classes. But it was

helpful in scoring Internal Marks.”

- Vaishnav Reddy, BBA LLB (H)

In online classes, there is less or no face to face

interaction. The limited social interaction

sometimes creates trouble for the students in doing

one-to- one session with their professor. Students

can’t grasp knowledge online at one go.

The only benefit is that it's flexible n convenient

for students because the students can attend class

in their own comfort zone.

- Sankalp Agarwal, BBA LLB (H)