National Law University, Delhi



National Law University, Delhi (NLUD) is one of the National Law Universities in India, situated in Sector-14, Dwarka, Delhi. It offers courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. As one of the national law schools in India, NLUD is built on the five-year law degree model proposed and implemented by the Bar Council of India. The National Law University Act, 2007, provides for the Chief Justice of India to be the university's visitor, the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi to function as the university's chancellor, and its vice-chancellor to function as the chief administrator.

History
National Law University, Delhi was established in 2008 by Act No. 1 of 2008 of NCT Delhi in the National Capital Territory of Delhi with the initiative of the High Court of Delhi under the leadership of Ranbir Singh, the founder-director and vice-chancellor of the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, who became the university's vice-chancellor. It was inaugurated by the then President of India, Pratibha Patil. The college started functioning in 2008 in temporary buildings. By the year 2010, the college had completed its construction and was fully functional.

Undergraduate
NLUD offers a five-year undergraduate, B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) program. One hundred and ten seats are offered and ten additional seats are allocated to foreign nationals, OCIs and PIOs. The undergraduate program is based on a credit system with additional seminar courses for further learning, pursuant to the interests of the students. The program consists of approximately fifty subjects to be studied over ten semesters, with five subjects in each semester. Students are expected to submit fifty research projects before their graduation. The curriculum remains intensive and has led to concerns about stress levels amongst the students.

Postgraduate
NLUD also offers a one-year LL.M. program. The admission is through a written tthathich is conducted by university followed by an interview. It additionally offers Postgraduate Diploma program in Urban Environmental Management, Judging and Court Management, and IPR and Patent, Law along a with Doctor of Philosophy (.Ph.D).

Admissions
NLUD does not utilize the Common Law Admission Test like other National Law Universities do; admissions to the undergraduate (UG) B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) program are done through the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET), a test conducted every year by the university.

AILET (UG) Pattern

The AILET for B.A.LL.B (Hons.) programme has three (3) sections of 150 multiple choice questions for 150 marks in total. The duration of the examination is 120 minutes. The three sections are: Section A: English Language (50 questions; 50 marks). Section B: Current Affairs & General Knowledge (30 questions; 30 marks). Section C: Logical Reasoning (70 questions; 70 marks). Legal principles may be used in the logical reasoning section to test logical aptitude, but the examination will not require any kind of legal knowledge or technical understanding. Negative marking: There will be negative marking in AILET 2022-3. The criteria for negative marking will be based on the formula 0.25*4=1, which means per wrong answer, 0.25 marks will be deducted. Therefore, four wrong answers will lead to a deduction of 1 Mmark. If two or more candidates get the same marks at the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET), their merit will be determined on the basis of higher marks in the section on LOGICAL REASONING in the AILET 2022. If the merit is still the same, then the candidate of the senior age shall get preference. If there is still no change in merit, then the computerised draw of lots shall be taken into consideration.

Rankings
National Law University, Delhi has been ranked 2nd at the All India level in the Law School category by the National Institutional Ranking Framework

Justice T. P. S. Chawla Library
The library is named after T.P.S. Chawla, a former judge of the High Court of Delhi who contributed significantly to the development of the library by donating his personal collection of rare volumes to it. The library is fully automated, and book circulation is maintained through electronic Library-cum-Identity Cards with the help of a barcode system. The collection comprises over 41,000 documents, including monographs, commentaries, textbooks, reference books and loose leaf material on various subjects, such as Jurisprudence, Judicial Process, Constitutional law, Intellectual Property, Public International Law, Environmental Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Aviation Law, Human Rights, Criminal Law, Cyber Laws, International Business Transactions, and Maritime Law.

The library consists of three storeys.

Research
NLUD currently has thirteen research centres:

Project 39A is inspired by Article 39-A of the Indian Constitution, which champions equal justice and opportunity by breaking down socioeconomic barriers. With a focus on empirical research, Project 39A aims to reevaluate criminal justice practices, sparking dialogues on issues like legal aid, torture, forensics, mental health in prisons, and the death penalty.
 * Centre for Banking and Financial Laws
 * Centre for Child Rights & Juvenile Justice
 * Centre for Communication Governance
 * Centre for Comparative Law
 * Centre for Corporate Law And Governance
 * Centre for Constitutional Law, Policy and Governance
 * Centre for Criminology and Victimology
 * Centre for Comparative Studies in Personal Laws
 * Project 39A
 * Centre for Tax Laws
 * Centre for Law & Urban Development

The team is committed to conducting rigorous research before proposing reforms, despite challenges like poor record-keeping and data access. They emphasize the importance of communicating their findings to a broader audience beyond legal professionals, as the health of the criminal justice system concerns society as a whole.


 * Centre for Environmental Law, Policy and Research (CELPR)
 * Centre for Innovation, Intellectual Property and Competition (CIIPC)
 * Centre for Social Inclusion And Minority Rights
 * Centre for Transparency and Accountability in Governance
 * Centre for Transnational Commercial Law (CTCL)

NLUD also possesses endowed chairs: They also feature a scholarly journal in collaboration with Sage Publications known as the Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice'.
 * K.L. Arora Chair in Criminal Law
 * Justice B.R. Sawhny Chair in Professional Ethics

Kairos
Kairos was the literary and cultural fest of the University. It included a variety of events, which are legal as well as cultural. Each night featured performances by popular stage artists and musicians, which have included The Raghu Dixit Project, Faridkot, Dualist Inquiry, Dhruv Visvanathan, The Urban Earlymen, and the Family Cheese.

Kairos, formerly in existence, had been replaced by the festival 'Eclipse' in 2022-23. The Cultural Committee is now unveiling the upcoming 'Glitz Pendens' festival for the year 2023-24.

Glitz Pendens
The annual festival at National Law University, Delhi (NLU Delhi) underwent changes in recent years, with 'Kairos' replaced by 'Eclipse' in 2022-23. In 2023-24, the Cultural Committee introduced 'Glitz Pendens,' merging legal terminology with cultural and literary festivities. The renaming bid farewell to 'Eclipse' but preserved its legacy. The 'Glitz Pendens' festival was held on March 7–9, 2024, featuring performances by comedian Aaditya Kulshreshtra aka Kullu, and Turban Band. The event also included many other exciting activities, such as rap battles and Dumb Charades.

Student Bar Council
The National Law University Delhi Student Bar Council Constitution delineates the structure and operations of the Student Bar Council (SBC) at the National Law University (NLU) Delhi. The SBC is a central body representing the interests of all students pursuing the B.A.LL.B. (Hons.) course and LL.M. program, as well as those enrolled in other courses, including exchange students. The constitution establishes five distinct organs within the SBC: SBC Committees Organ, SBC Societies Organ, SBC Governing Council Organ, SBC Election Management Organ, and SBC Grievance Management Organ.

The SBC Committee Organ plays a pivotal role in student governance. It comprises two integral components: the Committee Executive (Committee-Executive) and the General Body (Committee-GB). The Committee-Executive serves as the executive branch, responsible for coordinating committee matters within the SBC Governing Council, authorizing decisions and actions, and ensuring compliance with the constitution. The Committee-GB, on the other hand, functions as the consultative branch.

Crucially, Article 4 outlines the composition of the SBC Committee-Executive, specifying the number of positions for various courses and emphasizing gender diversity. It underscores the importance of having at least half of the Committee-Executive members from each batch be women. Additionally, provisions are made to address underrepresentation issues through nominations. Furthermore, individuals are deemed ineligible for Committee-Executive positions if they have been involved in disciplinary actions, violated the PoSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Act, are part of an exchange program, or if violate other constitutionally defined criteria. Members can cease to hold their positions through resignation, removal, or various other reasons, leading to the creation of vacancies.

SBC Members 2023-24
Library Committee:

Convenor: Nandini Pal Co-Convenor: Parth Gupta Secretary: Charvee Kantiwal

Moot Court Committee:

Convenor: Shashvat Chandra Co-Convenor: Anand Shankar Secretary: Aadarsh Gautam

Literary, Quizzing and Debating Committee:

Convenor: Kaartikay Agarwal Co-Convenor: Debayan Bhattacharya Secretary: Karina Chawla

Cultural and Dramatics Committee:

Convenor: Khusboo Dev Co-Convenor: Harshwardhan Pushkin Sharma Secretary: Chitraksh Dhanetiya

Hostel Management Committee:

Convenor: Abhinav Anand Co-Convenor: Shivam Pathak Secretary: Preeti Boora

Sports Committee:

Convenor: Paras Pare Co-Convenor: Shrirudhi Basnyat Secretary: Drishti Rawat

Mess Committee:

Convenor: Danish Khatak Co-Convenor: Monal Prasad Secretary: Prakhya Tamraparni

Legal Services Committee:

Convenor: Somanshu Shukla Co-Convenor: Shubham Raj Singh Secretary: Adanyaa Garg

Student Welfare Committee:

Convenor: Jatin Meena Co-Convenor: Anas Khan Secretary: Pranjal Diler

ADR Committee:

Convenor: Tanish Agarwal Co-Convenor: Smita Secretary: Parth Khanna

Social Inclusion and Equity Committee:

Convenor: Animesh Srivastava Co-Convenor: Priyanjali Malik Secretary: Kanishk Saini

Academic Committee:

Convenor: Abhineet Maurya Co-Convenor: Yogita Secretary: Aswin Sanker

SBC Core Committee:

Convenor: Kalpatru Goel Co-Convenor: Kartikeya Jaiswal Secretary: Rishika Chaudhary

SBC - Governing Council:

Convenor: Jatin Meena Co-Convenor: Shubham Raajh Singh Secretary: Harshwardhan Pushkin Sharma

Student Election Commission: Aayushi Roy Harjaap S. Ahluwalia Bharat Nandini Goel Jyotsna Raj Kaif Ahmad Khan Vedanshi Keyal Arnav Roy Kanishk Motla Sarvottama Sangamitra

HSF - NLU Delhi International Negotiation Competition
The Herbert Smith Freehills - National Law University Delhi International Negotiation Competition (INC) offers a unique educational experience for law students worldwide. It simulates legal negotiations, benefiting those aspiring to become international lawyers.

Participation is by invitation only, drawing top universities globally, and fostering diverse and challenging negotiation environments. Established in 2014 at NLU Delhi, this pioneering competition garners acclaim for its high-quality simulations and judging standards.

Participants act as international lawyers in negotiations. Teams submit plans, engage in hour-long sessions, and advance through preliminary, quarter-final, semi-final, and final rounds. Awards include certificates, a trophy for winners, cash prizes, and recognition for the best negotiator and negotiation plan. The spirit of the competition award is also given to the team that best displays the qualities of good negotiation.

Alumni

 * Dushyant Chautala, Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana
 * Toshit Shandilya, Partner (Competition Law) at AZB & Partners
 * Harjaap Singh Ahluwalia, Canadian Media Executive at Dil Se Media Group

Faculty

 * Dr Anup Surendranath, Executive Director - Project 39A and Assistant Professor of Law at National Law University, Delhi.
 * Dr. Aniruddha Rajput
 * Prof. Upendra Baxi

Publications
Journals run by students and faculty at National Law University Delhi (NLU Delhi) are an integral part of the institution's academic landscape. These publications serve as platforms for legal scholarship, research, and discourse, facilitating the exchange of ideas and promoting academic excellence within the legal community. These are the journals published by the school:
 * NLUD Student Law Journal
 * Journal of National Law University, Delhi
 * International Journal of Transparency and Accountability in Governance