| The Justice System: Foundations, Policy and Practice

This course builds on the foundations that the Criminal Law I, II, III, Law of Evidence, ADR  and Civil Procedure Code I and II core courses have laid out for the students of BA, LL.B.  (Hons.) programme. It complements the Litigation Advocacy course from the 5^th year of the  undergraduate law programme. It is therefore suitable for students of the 4^th and 5^th years of the  BA, LL.B. (Hons.). For students of the LL.M. and MPP programmes, this course offers a  unique perspective of judicial processes and institutions in India, and can serve as a useful  primer to deeper engagement with legal practice and procedures.

The course follows a mixed design, with seminar style classroom discussions coupled with  desk research and field work. The first week of the course sets out the theoretical background  of India’s justice system, the second week follows this up with the practice.

While selected statutes and case law will be used to explain concepts, knowledge of the law is  not a prerequisite for the course. Each session will use pre-assigned instructional readings.  Most sessions will also use case studies and videos to supplement the readings. Students will  be encouraged to engage in discussions and debates and learn through peer learning. External  speakers and practitioners with sector experience may be invited to give practical, everyday  instances to explain the concepts. Information on the list of speakers will be released as the  course progresses.

The course serves as an important addition to the law school curriculum since information  available publicly on the components of the Indian legal system is fragmented and usually  incomplete. It consolidates the policy discussions and practice within the justice system to  provide students with a comprehensive picture of the system, its institutions, chief actors and  their interactions with each other and with the community.