Context

We are at a point of time in India’s history when public faith in institutions of democracy appears to be diminishing again. The long-cherished belief in the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, as the protector of the common person’s rights has come under the scanner. It is an important moment to start a conversation on how judiciary is and can continue to be a foundational building block of our democracy – both in an attempt to understand the present state of affairs and to offer solutions.

The Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy is starting a series of conversations titled ‘Conscience Keeper: Judiciary as the Constitutional Guardian’, in association with the Kautilya Society at the National Law University, Odisha. It will be a series of four conversations, starting 18 November 2020, spread over our Constitutional Law Month. These conversations will address some of the most pressing concerns of our time, including judiciary and constitutional courage, unlawful restriction of free speech, and the nature of federalism in India today, among others. We hope to take this conversation forward with you for the larger public good.

Conversation on ‘Federalism in India – Cooperative, Competitive or Adversarial?’

The first conversation on November 18 at 6 pm was on ‘Federalism in India – Cooperative, Competitive or Adversarial?’.

Speakers

• Dr P Thiaga Rajan, MLA, Tamil Nadu Assembly
• Dr M Govinda Rao, Member, Fourteenth Finance Commission and former Director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP)
• Moderated by Alok Prasanna Kumar, Co-Founder and Lead, Vidhi Karnataka