We are happy to announce that CCLS India Chapter has turned one!
The CCLS India Chapter celebrated its first Anniversary on 26th November 2021, virtually. Former Chief Justice of India (CJI), Mr. Dipak Misra, who had also inaugurated the Chapter on the same day in 2020, was the guest of honour for the event. Prof. Ian Walden and Prof. Uma Suthersanen from CCLS also graced the occasion with their presence.
The Chapter Chair, Mr. Ajit Mishra welcomed everyone and highlighted the Chapter’s achievements last year. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Chapter conducted several virtual events that were organised with the help of prominent lawyers from India and the United Kingdom. The Committee members, Zafar and Ojasvita extended their heartfelt gratitude to the attendees and members and shared their warm experiences with the Chapter over the last year. Committee member, Dhwani also introduced the Mumbai Chapter which is part of the India Chapter headed by her and Abhishek.
Prof. Walden congratulated the Chapter committee and encouraged the alumni to be a part of the Chapter. He was indeed pleased to note that the current count of members on LinkedIn is more than 400. He also suggested that physical events would be a great way to commence engaging activities in the Chapter. Prof. Walden welcomed Former CJI, Mr. Dipak Misra, and announced that Mr. Misra has agreed to be a patron of the CCLS India Chapter.
Former CJI, Mr. Dipak Misra appreciated the zeal and resilience of Indian lawyers to carry on and adapt despite the pandemic. He congratulated the CCLS India Chapter members on taking the Chapter this far and gave some suggestions for future activities. Mr. Misra suggested that the Chapter start having in-person activities. He highlighted the distinction between fear and caution and encouraged everyone to be cautious during the pandemic but not live in its fear. Mr. Misra also encouraged everyone to learn and embrace the new technology. While the original intuitive intelligence is far more superior to Artificial Intelligence (AI), he encouraged everyone to learn to use AI-powered technology. Mr. Misra also recommended the India Chapter to publish journals with articles from its members.
Ajit Mishra thanked Former CJI, Mr. Dipak Misra for his insightful suggestions and informed everyone that arranging physical events is already in the pipeline. Committee member, Raveesha announced the names and achievements of the five India Chapter members that the committee had selected to recognise their growth in a short span of time. The five members are Siddhant Mohanty (Criminal Justice LLM, 2016), Deepak Narayanan (Commerical and Corporate Law LLM, 2014), Gunjan Saxena (International Business Law LLM, 2020), Indira Reddy (International Business Law LLM, 2018) and Utkarsha Nikam (Commercial and Corporate Law - current student), all of whom then thanked everyone for the recognition and appreciation. Prof. Uma Suthersanen, who completed 25 years at Queen Mary, also spoke a few words about her Indian students and the Chapter.
Committee Member, Krishan then hosted a quiz designed by Dhwani on the various locations on different campuses of Queen Mary in London. All the attendees answered the questions, and the quiz took everyone down memory lane from their LLM days, which was both exciting and nostalgic.
All in all, it was a successful and fun event. CCLS India Chapter is looking forward to more members joining it and hosting offline events in the future.
Report by committee members Dhwani and Raveesha
You can watch the recording of this event on QMUL YouTube Channel.
Read more about the CCLS India Chapter and join here.