The National Conference on Constitution and Marginalized Sectors: Challenges in the Twenty First Century, organized by the School of Law at Christ University, provides a national academic forum to examine constitutional protections, legislative gaps, and socio-legal challenges faced by vulnerable communities across India. The conference brings together legal scholars, jurists, researchers, and students to evaluate the efficacy of affirmative action, labor protections, disability rights, gender justice, and refugee welfare within the modern Indian constitutional framework.
Institutional Background: School of Law, Christ University
Christ University, established as a college in July 1969 by the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) and founded by Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, was conferred Deemed University status in 2008 by the University Grants Commission under Section 3 of the UGC Act. The School of Law, introduced in 2006, offers integrated undergraduate law degrees (BA LLB and BBA LLB), master's programs in corporate and intellectual property law (LLM), MPhil, and doctoral research programs. The school fosters legal scholarship through academic conferences, moot courts, legal aid clinics, and publication initiatives.
Conceptual Framework: Constitutional Safeguards and Marginalization
Marginalization occurs when specific social groups are systematically excluded from mainstream economic, political, and legal institutions, restricting their opportunities for development and basic dignity. The Constitution of India was designed as a transformative document, embedding affirmative action and substantive equality provisions under Articles 14, 15, 16, 21, and 46 to dismantle historical hierarchies.
Despite these extensive constitutional guarantees, contemporary challenges persist across unorganized labour sectors, marginalized tribal groups, differently abled persons, and gender minorities. The Constitution and marginalized sectors conference critically assesses whether existing statutory mechanisms provide effective protection or whether structural reforms are needed to address new economic vulnerabilities in the twenty-first century.
Core Conference Sub-Themes and Scholarly Scope
The conference invites research papers across five primary thematic areas:
- Rights of Workers in Unorganized Sectors: Analyzing social security deficits, minimum wage compliance, contractualization of labor, occupational health safeguards, and the enforceability of constitutional rights of unorganized workers under Article 21 and Article 43.
- Safeguards for Differently Abled Persons: Examining physical accessibility, educational inclusion, employment reservations, non-discrimination in public spaces, and institutional implementation of safeguards for differently abled persons under disability rights legislation.
- Constitutional Safeguards and Protection of Children: Assessing the child protection constitutional framework, including the Right to Education under Article 21A, protection against hazardous employment under Article 24, juvenile justice administration, and statutory implementation of the POCSO Act.
- Protection of Women and Gender Justice: Evaluating legal protections against workplace harassment, domestic violence remedies, matrimonial property rights, and affirmative political representation to advance gender justice and womens rights India.
- Legal Protections for Migrants, Displaced Persons, and Refugees: Reviewing interstate migrant workers' rights, rehabilitation policies for development-induced displacement, socio-economic integration, and the legal status of refugees within India's constitutional and international obligations.
Submission Guidelines for Authors and Researchers
Authors submitting research manuscripts must follow strict academic standards:
- Abstract Requirements: The abstract must not exceed 300 words and must include a cover page stating the sub-theme, paper title, author name(s), institutional affiliation, email address, postal address, and contact number.
- Full Paper Specifications: The manuscript must not exceed 2,500 words (excluding footnotes). Text must be typed in Times New Roman, font size 12 with 1.5 line spacing. Footnotes must be in font size 10 with single spacing, adhering strictly to the Bluebook 19th Edition citation style. One-inch margins must be maintained on all sides.
- Authorship Rules: Co-authorship is permitted up to a maximum of two authors. Both authors must register separately, and at least one author must attend and present the paper at the conference.
- Originality and Publication: Submissions must be original, unpublished work. Plagiarized manuscripts will be disqualified. Select peer-reviewed papers will be published in the official Conference Proceedings with ISBN No. 978-81-922281-7-4.
- Submission Email: Manuscripts in Microsoft Word format must be emailed to
slcuconference@law.christuniversity.inwith the subject line format specified by the organizing committee.
Conference Schedule and Important Milestone Dates
Researchers participating in this academic call for papers law conference must observe the following schedule:
| Conference Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Abstract Submission Deadline | 10 December 2012 |
| Confirmation of Abstract Acceptance | 20 December 2012 |
| Full Paper Submission Deadline | 20 January 2013 |
| Confirmation of Selected Papers | 30 January 2013 |
| National Conference Dates | 8 - 9 March 2013 |
Programme Structure and Two-Day Itinerary Breakdown
The national conference follows a structured two-day academic itinerary designed to facilitate rigorous legal deliberation, peer review feedback, and interdisciplinary discussion:
- Day 1 (8 March 2013): Commences with the Inaugural Ceremony (09:30 am - 10:30 am), followed by tea break, Keynote Addresses, Presentation Session I on unorganized labour rights (11:00 am - 01:00 pm), networking lunch break, Presentation Session II on disability safeguards (02:00 pm - 03:30 pm), and Presentation Session III on child welfare frameworks (03:45 pm - 05:15 pm).
- Day 2 (9 March 2013): Features Presentation Session IV on gender justice, migrant rights, and refugee protection (09:30 am - 11:30 am), followed by tea break, culminating in the Valedictory Ceremony and presentation of certificates to delegates (12:00 noon - 01:00 pm).
Participants gain valuable exposure to empirical legal methodologies, public policy critiques, and judicial trends affecting vulnerable populations across Indian states.
Academic Legal Forums and Related Constitutional Discourse
Scholarly engagement with socio-legal issues contributes significantly to public policy formulation and constitutional law jurisprudence. Legal scholars exploring academic publishing and calls for papers can review opportunities such as the DSNLU Call for Papers: Jural Quorate. Furthermore, examining constitutional equality and judicial standards across public matters provides valuable context, as seen in legal discussions surrounding PIL challenges Bharat Ratna to Sachin Tendulkar, where judicial review of executive discretion is analyzed.