About the Series

Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, in collaboration with the India International Centre, hosts ‘The Working of the Indian Constitution: Stories and Scholarship’. As a part of this initiative, we organise the ‘Great Cases‘ series – a series of discussions aiming to foster in-depth discussions on landmark rulings that have profoundly shaped the Indian Constitution. Each session will feature legal professionals – offering  unique perspectives on the ruling. 

The series will feature members of the legal fraternity speaking to the audiences (a mix of lawyers, students, media-persons, and other professionals) to discuss landmark cases that have left an indelible impression on the Indian legal system. 

About the Discussion and the Speakers

The third discussion of the series, titled Decoding Defection, will feature Dr.  Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court in conversation with Dr. Arghya Sengupta, Founder & Research Director, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. 

The aim is to decode the law & policy of defection, starting with the judgment of the Supreme Court in Subhash Desai v Principal Secretary, Governor of Maharashtra – arising from the party split in the Maharashtra Assembly. The discussants will parse the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India and probe its efficacy as a legal instrument. 

Abhishek Manu Singhvi is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, an eminent jurist, parliamentarian, visible media personality, well-known columnist, author, and commentator. He completed his school from St. Columba’s School. He obtained B.A.(Hons.), M.A., PhD, PIL educated at St. Stephen’s College, Trinity College, Cambridge and Harvard University. He also completed his PhD from Cambridge University where the focus of his research was on emergency powers.

Arghya Sengupta is the Founder and Research Director of Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.