Fwd: [initiative-india] Invitation for Conference of ‘LAWYERS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE’ August 25 - 26th, INDORE

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From: NAPM India <napmindia@napm-india.org>
Date: Sat, Aug 18, 2012 at 11:52 AM
Subject: [initiative-india] Invitation for Conference of 'LAWYERS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE' August 25 - 26th, INDORE
To:

Invitation for Conference of

'LAWYERS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE'

Venue: Indore Institute of Law, M.P.

Date: 25^th - 26^th August, 2012

Co-organized by

Indore Institute of Law, Indore &
National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)

Dear Sir/ Madam,

As you are aware of, the democratic foundation of a sovereign country like India stands on three pillars: legislature, executive and the judiciary. Over the years, the role of the judiciary has dramatically increased, especially interventions for those sections which are vulnerable and those who face injustice. With the face of the State changing in the present times, the judiciary has become a modern day Leviathan, the supreme, sovereign authority under which the rights of the citizens of the country are arbitrated and decided upon.

When it comes to lawyers and the practice of law, most lawyers knowledgeable of the place of law and of legal institutions remain active only at the judicial fore. A few relate with outside court actions to challenge various issues of legal as well as social justice. A still smaller number link themselves with the social movements directly.

Most people's movements, social organizations and civil society groups across the country, at some point, approach the courts for legal action, even when direct mass action and political mobilization is ongoing. They not only rely on existing laws and Constitutional rights enshrined, but through their engagement with the complexities and emerging realities, they serve to expand current legal paradigms and point gaps in existing laws and create new parameters of justice.For instance, peoples' movements and activist campaigns have made several crucial contributions to provide more protection to sections of the population like women, adivasis, dalits, workers, children etc.

Thus, social activism and the legal system have become complementary players in upholding the rights of the people. At other times, dilemmas and conflicting positions also emerge amongst social and legal activists. The role of the media has also expanded with talk shows and "expert" opinions often passing public judgments on certain high profile cases long before the end of the actual legal process, while ignoring many other crucial legal battles. The relationship between citizens' rights, peoples' movements, the legal system and the media is a complex one and needs to be understood and analyzed, if the tools for struggle for social, political and economic justice today, have to be sharpened.

It is in this context that the Indore Institute of Law and The National Alliance of People's Movements [NAPM] would like to invite you for a conference of 'Lawyers For Social Justice' at the Indore Institute of Law, Gendalal Bam Parisar, Dehri Rangvasa, Rau, Opp. IIM, Indore, M.P. on August 25^th and 26^th, 2012 to debate various contemporary issues, some of which have been mentioned in brief above.

The themes for the conference include, but need not be limited to-

• Indian Legal System and Peoples' Movements

• Judicial Accountability: Perspectives and Challenges

• Protecting Constitutional Rights of the Marginalized: Role of the Judiciary

• Directive Principles: Should they be justiciable?

• Legal Battles and Struggles beyond the Courts: Complimentarity and Contradictions.

• Corruption: Role of Law, Judiciary, and Peoples' Movements

• Displacement and Development Issues: Strengths and Limitations of Legal Action

• Democratic Rights, Civil Liberties and Role of Lawyers

• Urban Poor, unorganized sector and Legal Justice

• Gender Justice and the Legal System

• Atrocities against disadvantaged communities: Role of Lawyers

•  Environmental laws: Challenges for People's Movements

• Lawyers and their Role in movements for justice.

• National Agenda and Strategy for Legal and Human Justice

We would like to invite papers from various lawyers on any of these above themes, where you may select certain aspects of each theme or cover its wider interpretations. E would be thankful if the papers can reach us latest by the 1^st or 2^nd week of August, 2012 in order to enable compilation and circulation of the same during the Conference proceedings.

All of the papers will be taken up for dissemination, as reading material amongst the participants and also be brought up for discussions/debates during the Conference. A good number of those selected by a panel will also be published in the form of a book following the conference. The conference will be attended by a few eminent former judges, socially oriented lawyers including senior counsels, students and professors of law and senior social activists. Hon'ble Justice (Retd.) Shri Ashok Kumar Ganguly, Chairperson, State Human Rights Commission, West Bengal, has kindly consented to deliver the key note address.

We sincerely hope that you can find time in your busy schedule to attend this conference to make valuable inputs in the ongoing debates and actions that are important to the goals of achieving social justice. Expecting your confirmation of participation, at the earliest, after which further details will be sent to you.

Yours Sincerely,

Medha Patkar, Convenor, National Alliance of People's Movements	Adv Anil Trivedi (Senior Advocate, High Court of Indore)
Akshay Bam (Institute of Law, Indore)	Vinod Bagdi, (Citizens Support Group, Indore, Social Activist

Contact Persons: Pramod Bagdi             Pratyush Mishra                Vibhor Airen

 09827021000         09425958043              09827305150

E-mail:- napmindia@gmail.com | lawgroupindore@gmail.com (Please send to both mails).

Logistics: You are kindly requested to manage your own travel fares. Arrangements for food and stay in Indore will be taken care of by the organizers at the Indore Institute of Law]. Indore is well connected by trains and flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Nagpur. Overnight buses are also available from Mumbai, Ahmedabad and other places. From Bhopal every ten minutes private shared taxis and buses leave for Indore. We would be happy to send you a detailed train and flight schedule, as per your requirement.

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National Alliance of People's Movements
National Office: Room No. 29-30, 1st floor, 'A' Wing, Haji Habib Bldg, Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar (E), Mumbai - 400 014;
Ph: 022-24150529

6/6, Jangpura B, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110014
Phone : 011 26241167 / 24354737 Mobile : 09818905316
Web : www.napm-india.org

Facebook : www.facebook.com/NAPMindia

Twitter : @napmindia

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