DNLU's CITIL Co-Hosted Book Launch Of “WTO And Digital Trade” In New Delhi

The Centre for WTO Studies (CWS), Centre for Research in International Trade (CRIT), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), in collaboration with Centre for Studies in International Trade and Investment Laws (CITIL), Dharmashastra National Law University (DNLU), Jabalpur, hosted the launch of the edited book “WTO and Digital Trade”, published by Bloomsbury India, at the Auditorium of the Prime Minister's Museum & Library, Teen Murti House, New Delhi.

The book was launched by the Chief Guest, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and the Guest of Honor, Justice Rajendra Menon, Chairperson of the Armed Forces Tribunal, New Delhi and Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha, Vice Chancellor of Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur. Other attendees included Prof. (Dr.) Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Vice Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade; Prof. (Dr.) V. K. Ahuja, Director, Indian Law Institute, New Delhi; and Prof. (Dr.) Dilip Ukey, Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai. In his inaugural address, Justice Bhuyan reflected on digital trade's potential while cautioning against sovereignty, privacy, and fairness concerns. Justice Menon, in his special address, highlighted the need for legal preparedness and innovative frameworks to govern digitalization. Academic leaders further contributed their perspectives. The event was held at Auditorium, Teen Murti House, Prime Minister's Museum & Library, New Delhi.

The book is edited by Dr. Pritam Banerjee (Head, CWS) and Mr. Utkarsh K. Mishra (Director, CITIL, DNLU) under the guidance of Prof. Manoj Kumar Sinha, Vice Chancellor, DNLU, Jabalpur, Prof. Dr. Arpita Mukherjee, ICRIER, Prof. Dr. Murali Kallummal, Head (Admin)-CRIT and Mr. Deepak Maheshwari, Senior Policy Advisor. The Managing Editors of the book are Dr. Amit Randev (Consultant, Legal, CWS) and Ms. Monika (Consultant, Legal, CWS). The evening was marked by participation, deliberations, and intellectual exchange, underscoring the growing significance of digital trade in the global economy and its intersection with multilateral trade governance. Far beyond a ceremonial release, the launch was a celebration of scholarship, policy relevance, and institutional collaboration. The volume, edited and contributed to by leading experts, scholars and students examines legal, economic, and policy dimensions of digital trade. It explores how WTO can address the opportunities and challenges of the digital economy, with special attention to developing countries like India.

The event began with an introduction to the book by Mr. Utkarsh K. Mishra, Director, CITIL, and Assistant Professor of Law, DNLU Jabalpur. He emphasized the book's focus on e-commerce, data governance, cross-border flows, taxation, and the digital divide, noting its dual value as an academic resource and policy handbook. The highlight of the evening was a panel discussion moderated by Prof. (Dr.) Pritam Banerjee, Head, CWS, featuring Prof. Abhijit Das; Prof. (Dr.) Murali Kallummal; Prof. (Dr.) James J. Nedumpara; Shri Deepak Maheshwari; and Dr. Gargi Chakrabarti. The panelists addressed issues including policy space for developing countries, economics of digital platforms, digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, consumer protection, Intellectual Property and gender dimensions of digital trade. The discussion was enriched by active audience engagement.

The event also witnessed the presence of researchers from the Centre for Studies in International Trade and Investment Laws (CITIL), namely the Convenors, Mr. Suryansh Pandey and Ms. Aditi Mishra, along with Mr. Saurav Tiwari, Head, Centre Publications, and Mr. Abhay Gupta, Head, Trade-cum-Incubation Centre, who marked the CIITL's presence at the launch. Mr. Abhay and Mr. Saurav serve as Assistant Editors in the book. Dr. Amit Randev delivered the vote of thanks, followed by a fellowship dinner.

The coordination of the event was carried out by Ms. Monika and Dr. Amit Randev, ensuring the smooth conduct of the proceedings. Key themes of the volume include defining digital trade under WTO frameworks, data flows and privacy, taxation, e-commerce negotiations, the digital divide, and the complementarity of domestic and international policy.