NLU Nagpur: National Conference On 'From Legislation To Practice: Assessing The Implementation Of New Criminal Laws'

Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Nagpur was established by the Government of Maharashtra in 2014. The university is an academic fraternity of individuals who foster the aim of excellence and holistic development in order to contribute effectively to society. The university aims to train socially responsible and accountable legal professionals. In order to realize this holistic vision, the University, through its multidisciplinary centres, strives to develop legal and intellectual acumen for the academic fraternity in order to institute a confident and critical outlook towards the profession and society.Justice Bhushan R. Gavai, Judge, Supreme Court of India is the Chancellor and Prof. (Dr.) Vijender Kumar is the Vice Chancellor of teh University.

About the Conference

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023 have ushered in significant reforms in India's criminal justice system, replacing the IPC of 1860, CrPC of 1974, and Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively. These new laws introduce key changes such as a shift towards the involvement of technology procedures, stricter procedural timelines and forensic-based investigations, and a renewed focus on justice and reformation. However, while these laws set high standards for criminal adjudication, their practical implementation remains challenging, requiring a balance between legal ideals and ground realities.

Since their enforcement in July 2024, a crucial need has emerged to critically examine the functioning and implementation of these laws. The conference aims to bring together Judges, Advocates, Public Prosecutors, Police Officers, Academicians and Students to discuss the effectiveness of these reforms, identify the challenges to effective implementation, and recommend policy reforms based on the practical experiences of key stakeholders. The conference aims to provide valuable insights into bridging the gap between legislative intent and on-ground implementation.

Discussions in the Conference will focus on contrasts between the old and new criminal laws, practical difficulties faced by different stakeholders, and harmonizing legal principles with procedural realities.

By fostering critical engagement and informed debate, this conference seeks to ensure that the implementation of these laws is both effective and just, ultimately contributing to a more robust and equitable criminal justice system.

Call for Papers

The Conference invites full-length scholarly papers (6000-8000 words) on the emerging areas of the new criminal laws, including theoretical, methodological, and empirical investigations, including but not limited to the seminar's sub-themes. Researchers intending to participate in the conference must submit an abstract clearly denoting the focus area of the paper, research, and relevance to the conference themes. They selected submissions will be presented by the authors at the Technical Sessions of the conference on April 05, 2025 in a hybrid mode.

Awards

The “Best Paper” from each technical session will be selected and awarded a Certificate of Excellence. The criteria for “Best Paper” include adherence to all the rules related to formatting, payment of the requisite fee and the deadlines specified for submission.

The selected papers will be published in a reputed book bearing an ISBN number or a journal bearing an ISSN number.

Mode of the Conference

The Conference will be held in Hybrid Mode.

Sub-themes of the Conference

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS)

• Shifting focus from Punishment to Reformation and Justice.
• Reforms in Offences against Women and Children.
• Reforms in Offences Affecting the Human Body and Property.
• Reforms in Offence against the State (Deshdroh) and its impact.
• Need for reforms related to offences against LGBTQ Community.
• Pressing Need for Further Reforms.

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS)

• Reforms relating to Investigation, Inquiry and Trial, including technological advancements.
• Reforms relating to Custody, Bail and proclaimed offenders.
• Victim centric reforms.
• Procedural reforms related to Sentencing.
• Reforms to tackle delay in criminal justice system.
• Pressing Need for Further Reforms.

Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA)

• Reforms relating to Electronic Evidence and cybercrimes.
• Reforms relating to admissibility of Oral, Documentary Evidence, and Hearsay.
• Ensuring witness protection and integrity of testimony.
• Best practices for evidence management.
• Reforms related to role of technology.
• Pressing Need for Further Reforms.

Eligibility

• Students
• Research Scholars
• Academicians
• Advocates
• Public Prosecutors
• Judges
• Police Officers
• Other Stakeholders

Important Dates

• Submission of Abstract – March 20, 2025
• Intimation of selection of Abstracts – March 22, 2025
• Last date for Registration – March 25, 2025
• Submission of Manuscript – April 03, 2025
• National Conference – April 05, 2025

Submission Guidelines

Abstract:

The abstract should not exceed 300–350 words and must be submitted on or before March 20, 2025. All abstracts must be accompanied by a cover letter containing the following details:

• Name of the Author(s)
• Sub-Theme (Optional)
• Email ID of the author(s)
• Contact Number of the author(s)
• Postal Address

Note: Co-authorship is permitted to a maximum of 2 authors. All submissions must be the author's original and unpublished work, and should not be under process for publication in any other journal.

Link for submission of abstracts: https://forms.gle/5rNxV4Cs9ZkCMoym6

Final Submission

• The word limit of the paper shall be 4000 to 8000 words (exclusive of footnotes).
• The font style of the paper should be Times New Roman with font size being 12 for the main text and 10 for the footnotes.
• The line spacing for the main text and footnotes should be 1.5 and 1 respectively (Endnotes are not permitted).
• Margins of 1 Inch should be maintained on all four sides of the pages.
• Citation Style to be followed is Bluebook, 20th edition.
• The File Name should be in the format given: Name of Author-Title of paper
• The abstract and full paper have to be submitted in .doc/.docx format.
• A plagiarism declaration statement should be attached along with the full paper. (The permitted similarity index is 10%).
• The use of AI in writing is prohibited.

Note: The link for submission of the full paper shall be shared once the abstract is accepted.

Registration details

Fee payment for registration can be made through the link provided below. The last date for registration fee payment is on or before March 25, 2025.

Link for fee payment: https://www.onlinesbi.sbi/sbicollect/

Students:

• Single-Authorship- 700/-
• Co-Authorship- 1000/-

Research Scholars:

• Single-Authorship- 1000/-
• Co-Authorship- 1500/-

Academicians and Professionals:

• Single-Authorship- 1500/-
• Co-Authorship- 2000/-

Contact

Email: criminallawconference.mnlun@gmail.com

For further details, refer to the brochure.