Meet Our New PhD Scholars | AY 2023-24

Gaurav Dahiya

Your background and journey so far:

I originally am from Haryana. However, as my father was in the Air Force, I spent most of my childhood staying in different parts of the country, before settling in New Delhi. Post my schooling, I was an engineer but I always had a soft spot for humanities in my heart. So after working for a few years in both public and private sector, I ultimately turned towards law. And it was here that I found my calling and I didn’t look back.

Area of research in your PhD: 

As I come from an engineering background, patents and intellectual property as a whole were a natural fit for me. For my PhD, I will be working on patent standardization, how it has developed so far, what has been India’s role in this process, and what it can be in the future. My interest in patent standardization was piqued by the litigations involving Ericsson and Indian phone manufacturers such as Micromax and Intex, in what could be seen as a David vs Goliath match-up. Contrasting orders were given by the Competition Commission of India and Delhi High Court, highlighting the difference in approach towards standard essential patents from the purview of competition law and patent law, which is also another area of my research.

What attracted you to the PhD programme at NLS: 

Before I made the switch to academia by enrolling for my LL.M, I was working with Samsung R&D in Bangalore, and that was when I fell in love with the city. So naturally when the opportunity came to come back to the city to pursue my PhD, I welcomed it with open arms.

But I was even more excited about doing my research at NLS. To the outside legal community, the multidisciplinary approach of NLS is something looked at with envy, and this is something which will be useful for my research topic as well. Another inspirational factor was that the late Shamnad Basheer, who was a doyen in India’s IP fraternity, was an alumnus of this university.

Plans after PhD: 

After my PhD I hope to work as an Assistant Professor and give back to society all that I have been fortunate to receive. I also plan to keep actively researching and my dream is to write as much as possible and contribute to the rapidly expanding IP domain in India.

Sri Harsha Kandukuri

Your background and journey so far: 

I come from a beautiful village in the Konaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. Born into a family of lawyers (I am a 4th generation lawyer), I developed a natural interest in the law. I did my under graduation in law (BBA LLB-Hons) from Christ University, Bengaluru. Later, I did my Masters (LLM- Law and Development) from Azim Premji University. Here is where I fell in love with academic research and realised the potential of research in shaping and influencing the public discourse in the country.

I worked as an Assistant Professor of Law at a private University in Bengaluru and enjoyed teaching courses I was deeply invested in. I am currently working as a Child Rights Researcher at CivicDataLab.

Area of Research in your PhD:

I plan to conduct my doctoral research on the regulation of political parties in India, which is interdisciplinary research in law and politics. My interest in politics dates back to my LLM days when I wrote a dissertation on independent politicians in India. Today, we see a total dominance of political parties in electoral politics and governance. I believe that our democracy and governance are only as good as the political parties we have. Especially in the aftermath of the political crisis in Maharashtra, there is an absolute need to study the internal working of parties, and how to strengthen internal democracy and decentralize power from the hands of a few individuals.

What attracted you to the PhD programme at NLS:

NLS also offers PhD (interdisciplinary) programme as compared to a traditional PhD in Law. This is a major attraction to me. I am aware that my topic suits this programme and I am happy that I got selected for the same. More than this, NLS has a very rich pool of faculties and researchers not just in the field of law, but also in social sciences. I am confident that my research and dissertation would greatly benefit from the academic culture of the University and the diverse research interests of the faculty here. I am really excited to be part of the NLS community and to do doctoral research at one of the best schools in the country.

Plans after PhD:

My focus now is to enjoy my research journey and to turn in an excellent thesis I will be proud of. I see this as a magnum opus of my academic life. I hope that even after my PhD, I continue to do research and contribute to the literature and society at large.

Sharon Singh

Your background and journey so far:

I completed my BA LLB (Honors in English) from Panjab University, Chandigarh and LLM in Criminal Law from Army Institute of Law, Mohali, Punjab. Besides qualifying the UGC-NET, I hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology, Law and Policy from Gujarat National Law University, Gujarat and a Post Graduate Diploma in Cyber Law and Cyber Forensics from National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. I was a defence services aspirant and achieved AIR 10 in the Combined Defence Services Examination, whereafter I joined the Officers Training Academy, Chennai. Due to an injury, I was unable to complete my training, and therefore shifted to academics. I joined NLSIU as a Project Associate and I am currently working under Prof (Dr) Mrinal Satish on the Bengaluru Safe City Police Training Programme.

I belong to Chandigarh. I have been a member of the Rotaract Club, Chandigarh and I have actively participated in activities concerning social welfare. Among other competitions, I have excelled in debate and essay writing competitions. My hobbies include sketching, cooking, driving and running.

Area of Research in your PhD: 

My area of research will primarily focus on analysing State power under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 through a constitutional perspective. The tension between the ideals of a constitutional state and the State’s exercise of power, is symbolic of the ‘central conflict’ between the operation of law as universal, formal, and rational and the absolute sovereignty of the state, necessitating a study of the state power under the above-mentioned Act.

What attracted you to the PhD programme at NLS:

Since the time I took up the position of Project Associate, I was fortunate that I got the opportunity to participate in Faculty Seminars. These seminars gave me a chance to understand the nature of work undertaken by our faculty members and helped in expanding my knowledge base. Moreover, the atmosphere at NLSIU encourages one to ask questions and to participate vigorously which certainly made me more confident in choosing NLSIU for my PhD. Here, the environment inspires one to think, question, unlearn, learn and relearn, which positively contributes to one’s personality. Besides, the PG Diploma that I pursued at NLSIU made me understand the pedagogy followed here which is primarily analytical in nature.

Plans after PhD: 

After completion of my PhD, I aspire to pursue research / policy related work or academics. I also want to pursue writing and explore opportunities through which I can express my knowledge and ideas in black and white.