Committed to reforming legal education and the pursuit of academic excellence, NLSIU places significant emphasis on legal and policy research. Research at NLSIU is primarily carried out through its Centres, Chairs, multi-year research projects, and through individual faculty initiatives. The University’s specialised research centres have been repeatedly called upon to shape laws and improve implementation in intellectual property, child rights, and environmental laws, among many others. The Research Policy of the University is available here.
In 2020, NLSIU identified five focus areas where it will develop new interdisciplinary research clusters:
- Labour and Work
- Climate Justice
- State Capacity and Reform
- Access to Justice & Legal System Reform
- Law, Technology and Society
In Focus
Health Law
Research Entities
Centres
NLSIU’s research centres anchor original and deep research on a broad range of critical areas. They also form nodes through which faculty, students and scholars publicly engage on these issues to inform, educate and help shape reform measures. From human rights and gender equality to leading environmental law research and emerging issues on law and technology, NLSIU’s research centres continue to engage with and impact key societal concerns in every decade.
Chairs
Research Chairs at NLS aim to advance knowledge in their respective fields through original inquiry, promotion of academic debate and dissemination of the latest research and findings. They play a critical role in strengthening the teaching, research and training capabilities of the University as a whole.
Projects & Grants
Continuing our research efforts, NLSIU has entered into a slew of collaborations both at the local and international level. This is in addition to the various projects undertaken by our research Centres and Chairs. We hope to initiate more such collaborations in the coming months and bring together scholars and researchers from across India and around the world to produce innovative and relevant outcomes through our research.
Journals
NLS is home to several interdisciplinary journals that have carried articles by leading scholars and experts over the years, and been cited by the Supreme Court on several occasions. The journals have a commitment to open access and the promotion of legal writing, and occupy an important space in legal academia in India.
Publications
TikTok and the Free Speech Conundrum
February 16, 2025
Can India learn some lessons from the TikTok case? The case suggests that corporate ownership restrictions are not as much of a problem for the freedom of expression given their content-neutral approach. Views expressed in…
Income Tax Law: Semantics and Beyond
February 12, 2025
Co-author: Pragya Kaushik (NLS BA LLB 2019) Scrapping archaic provisions and simplifying language are welcome. But systemic issues affecting taxpayer morale must also be addressed. Views expressed in this article are solely those of the…
Caste Inequality in Occupational Exposure to Heat Waves in India
February 1, 2025
Co-author: Arpit Shah, Anish Sugathan, Vimal Mishra, Deepak Malghan The association between caste identity and exposure to heat stress shows why adaptation and mitigation plans in India must account for the hierarchical social order characterized…