DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER : MS. REBECCA JOHN
Senior Advocate, Delhi High Court.
DATE AND TIME:
Date: 5th March 2023, Sunday Time: 11:00 A.M. to 12.00 P.M.
MODE:
VIRTUAL (CISCO WEBEX)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Rebecca John is one of the leading lawyers in criminal law litigation in India. She enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1988 and has been practising exclusively on the criminal side in the Supreme Court of India, High Court of Delhi and in the Trial Courts of Delhi for more than three decades. She was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court in 2013, being the first woman to be conferred the gown on the criminal side. She has also been appointed as a Special Public Prosecutor on occasion by the High Court of Delhi, and frequently comments in leading newspapers and the media on issues of criminal justice reform in India.
In her illustrious career, she has been involved in several high stakes cases including “the Jain Hawala case of 1996”, “the 2G spectrum case” and “the Aarushi Talwar murder case”. Most recently, she appeared for journalist Priya Ramani in a criminal defamation case filed by former Union Minister MJ Akbar in a Delhi court. The case against Ramani, who made allegations of sexual harassment against the journalist, was dismissed. This case acted as an emblem of the women empowerment movement in India. Rebecca Ma’am’s work has had a significant impact on the lives of women in India. Through her legal representation and advocacy, she has helped many women get justice and access to their rights. Her contributions have also helped to create a more supportive and inclusive environment for women in the legal profession and beyond.
ABOUT GUJARAT NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY
Gujarat National Law University is a statutory University established by the Government of Gujarat under the Gujarat National Law University Act, 2003. The University is recognized by the Bar Council of India and the University Grants Commission. The University functions as a nodal agency to uplift the legal education in the State of Gujarat. The University offers teaching, research and training programmes in law and inter-disciplinary fields such as Arts, Commerce, Science and Technology, Business Administration and Social Work at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. It is the only National Law University that is offering integrated undergraduate law degrees in five areas- B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), B.S.W. LL.B. (Hons.), B.Com. LL.B. (Hons.), B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), and B.Sc. LL.B. (Hons.); full-time LL.M., PhD in law and other disciplines as recommended by the UGC as well as diploma/certificate courses in various areas.
ABOUT GCRCJS:
Recognizing that a comprehensive appreciation of the technicalities, complexities and patterns of criminal law are indispensable for realizing the goals of the law, the University established the Centre for Research in Criminal Justice Sciences. (GCRCJS) It is a Centre dedicated to carry out research in the niche area of Criminal Law. The Centre provides a platform for a holistic research environment and aims to further knowledge and academic discussions about the multifaceted dimensions of criminal science.
GCRCJS conducted the 1st National Essay Writing Competition in July-August 2021, a Certificate Course on Cyber Crime, Crime Forensics and Law in August, 2021 and the 13th Asian Criminology Conference in July 2022 which had about 500 participants, resource persons and organizing committee members from all across India and the world, with representation from countries such as
Malaysia, Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The 13th Asian Criminology Conference, which was organised in collaboration with the Asian Criminological Society, National Forensic Science University, Gujarat Maritime University and University of Madras (Department of Criminology) received more than 200 abstracts across 11 different sub-themes, and was graced by dignitaries such as Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court, Hon'ble Justice Aravind Kumar, Hon’ble Justice NV Anjaria from the Gujarat High Court, Shree Harsh Sanghvi, Home Minister, Gujarat, Hon’ble Justice Kaushal Thaker from the Allahabad High Court, Prof. Dr. NK Chakrabarti, Director of WBNUJS and many more.
GCRCJS has facilitated transfer of knowledge and ideas by conducting 8 student discourses under the ‘Crime and Justice: A Discourse Series’ and published 6 issues of its well-regarded newsletter ‘The Crime and Justice Gazette’ which covers a wide range of contemporary issues, murder mysteries, case comments, articles, crosswords, and riddles.
GCRCJS has had the privilege of hosting Shri Shekhar Naphade, Senior Advocate, practicing at the Supreme Court of India for a webinar pertaining to the law of evidence. GCRCJS also got the opportunity to host Dr. Prabhakaran Paleri, a former director general of the Indian Coast Guard and Shri Narshimha Komar, a deputy director general of the Gujarat Police, for a webinar on India @75: Indian Armed Force. The focus of the webinar was on India’s External & Internal Security Strength at 75 years of independence. GCRCJS hosted its first Legislative Drafting Competition on the theme ‘Prevention of Substance Abuse in Schools and Higher Education.’ Students from law schools all around India submitted entries to join and support the sharing of thoughts and experiences on the targeted issue. Recently, GCRCJS had the pleasure of hosting Hon’ble Ms. Justice Gita Gopi, Judge, Gujarat High Court. Her Ladyship gave an in-depth understanding on “Bail Jurisprudence,
Quashing of FIRs and Role of Young Lawyers & Law Students in Litigation: A Judicial Perspective.” Her Ladyship spoke extensively on Rights of Prisoners, Power of Courts in Bail & Quashing Matter and reflected upon the importance of youth as a driving force in the legal fraternity.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
International Women’s Day, celebrated on the 8th of March, is a significant occasion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a brutally repressed protest by New York City’s female garment and textile workers. The day serves as an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women and to raise awareness about the challenges they still face, particularly in the realm of criminal justice.
Women have traditionally been underrepresented in the criminal justice system, both as victims and participants. According to the World Bank, only 33% of judges and prosecutors are women around the globe. In India, this underrepresentation is further concerning, as there has been no female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court till date. Out of the sanctioned strength of 34 judges, only three are women. The representation of women judges in High Courts is only 11.5% of the sanctioned strength. Furthermore, only 15% of practising lawyers in India are women.
Despite the legal protections in place for women in India, violence against women remains rampant. Globally, one in three women has experienced sexual violence. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, over 330,000 crimes against women were reported in India in 2019, with 49 offenses against women being lodged every hour. Additionally, there has been a 20% increase in crimes against women every year. This violence manifests in many forms, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. To address this issue, it is essential to raise awareness about women’s rights and to improve the implementation of existing protections.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
The guest speaker will focus on “Empowering Women in the Justice System: Addressing Crime and Advocating for Protection”, which aims to provide a platform for a productive and insightful discussion about the role of women in the criminal justice system and the challenges they face, as well as the efforts being made to address these challenges. The speaker will explore the challenges faced by women in navigating the criminal justice system and the efforts being made to increase their representation in the judiciary. The discussion will also focus on understanding the violence against women and its causes, as well as the efforts being made to empower women. Ultimately, the goal is to exchange ideas and work towards an equitable society and to improve the criminal justice system in India.
ELIGIBILITY:
The Webinar is open for Students, Lawyers, Research Scholars, Teachers, Judges, Professionals and Academicians or for anyone who is interested in the topic of the Webinar.
Please Note: There is no registration fee. Further, no certificate shall be issued for attending the webinar.
HOW TO REGISTER:
The webinar will be conducted on Cisco WebEx, details of which will be shared with the participants in due course of time.
To register for the Webinar, click the link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd- 1Ivf7Yn6bnSpCIsAmjLeFjk8A2oyniY3TAtnHC6QXYDmDw/viewform?usp=sf_link
Please Note: The last date to register is March 4, 2023 (Saturday), before 7 pm. CONTACT DETAILS:
For any queries, kindly write at: [email protected]
Or contact: Ms. Simran Srivastava (Student Co-Secretary), + 91 9807851552