NUJS Kolkata To Host Academic Session On Post-Nirbhaya Rape Jurisprudence

NUJS is widely recognised for its academic excellence, intellectual rigour, and global achievements, including being the first Indian institution to win the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Competition and emerging as World Champions at the 27th Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition. The University continues to foster cutting-edge legal scholarship through its distinguished faculty, alumni, and global academic partnerships.

The Society for Advancement of Criminal Justice (SACJ) is a premier academic body at NUJS dedicated to engaging with contemporary issues in criminal law and justice. The Society focuses on the interaction between criminal law, society, and morality, adopting an interdisciplinary approach that combines doctrinal, sociological, and jurisprudential perspectives. SACJ regularly facilitates dialogue between students, practitioners, and policymakers to critically examine the criminal justice system and its functioning.

About the Session

Title: Rape on Trial: Due Process, Public Conscience, and the Criminal Justice System – From Nirbhaya to Abhaya.

The session seeks to critically examine the evolution of Indian rape jurisprudence following the Nirbhaya case and the subsequent legal, evidentiary, and procedural reforms. While the law has become more victim-centric, recent cases such as Abhaya highlight persistent tensions between public outrage, investigative integrity, forensic reliability, and constitutional due process.

Bringing together perspectives from both defence and prosecution, the discussion will explore whether post-Nirbhaya reforms have strengthened substantive justice or merely reshaped its inherent paradoxes, particularly in the context of fair trial guarantees, evidentiary standards, and capital punishment.

Speakers

Adv. Sanjay Hegde, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India

Adv. Sanjay Hegde is a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India, known for his work in constitutional law, civil liberties, and criminal justice. He was appointed as amicus curiae in the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder (Nirbhaya) case, where he assisted the Court on issues of evidence, due process, and sentencing. He is also a regular columnist and commentator on legal and constitutional issues.

Adv. Soumyajit Raha, Practising Advocate & Special Public Prosecutor, Government of West Bengal

Adv. Soumyajit Raha is a criminal law practitioner with over two decades of experience, particularly in the prosecution of serious sexual offences. He has served as Special Public Prosecutor for the Government of West Bengal and has handled complex trials under the POCSO Act involving forensic evidence, witness examination, and victim-centric prosecution.

Event Details

Date: 1 February 2026

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Mode: Offline

Venue: NUJS Campus, Kolkata

Registration Deadline: 28 January 2026

Registration & Fee

Registration link- https://forms.gle/VBPBqR3dhmi3D9TB6

Registration Fee: ₹299

Free entry for NUJS students and participants of the 1st SVN NUJS National Trial & Advocacy Competition, 2026.

Food, welcome kit, and certificate of participation will be provided to all participants.

Payment Details:

Account Name: The Society for Advancement of Criminal Justice

Account Number: 520101247040645

IFSC Code: UBIN0906638

Bank Name: Union Bank of India

Branch: NUJS Kolkata Campus

Registration link- https://forms.gle/VBPBqR3dhmi3D9TB6

Contact Information

For queries, please write to sacj@nujs.edu, or contact:

Shubhankar Singha: +91 96797 30493

Junaid Hossain: +91 84361 68647

Tanishtha Tridib Ghosh: +91 82639 23090