Hyderabad: Nalsar organizes 14th Gutta Sri Rama Rao Memorial Lecture concludes successfully
14th Sri Gutta Srirama Rao memorial lecture was delivered at NALSAR university of Law, Hyderabad on 15-3-2023. This lecture is initiated by Gutta Srirama Rao memorial Education and charitable Trust. Late Sri Sri Rama Rao was a renowned Supreme Court Advocate.
Prof.Srikrishna Deva Rao Vice-chancellor of NALSAR University of law , Hyderabad welcomed the gathering and emphasized the need of understanding the essentiality of Rule of Law to up keep life with dignity in a constitutional democracy . Mr.G.K.B .Chodhary ,the trustee of Gutta Sri Rama Rao trust introduced the work of the trust to the audience.
Speaking on the occasion Prof B.B.Pandey said the Rule of Law thinking is divided between the two polarities, namely : One, that believes in absolute goodness and inherent desirability of the ‘law’ and defines it “normatively” as the reflection of the consensus of the majority of the people, and Second, that defines law “neutrally” as a set of “power resource” that is meant to serve the interests of those sections that retain the dominant position through the majoritarian backing.
Rule of Law Key principles
Focusing on AV Dicey’s three key ideas of Rule of Law: namely First : The supremacy of law over arbitrary power’ Second : The equality of all before the law, and government under the law’ Third : There is no higher law other than the rights of individuals determined by the courts. Professor said that Rule of Law need to establish itself by reiterating the core credentials in terms of three characteristic features, namely: (a) Autonomy and Universality, (b) Dynamism and Mutability and (c) Reflections of the higher social aspirations of the society.
The six key churnings
The ‘Churns’ are an integral part of the externalities of the Rule of Law. They relate to the multiple forces at work in the society such as (a) Nature of the economy, (b) Increasing inegalitarianism and widening social and economic disparities, (c) Growing impact of science and technology, (d) Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (e) Rising trend of criticalist thinking and the law reforms (f) Majoritarian faith-oriented re-imagination of legal process and selective deployment of law. The aforesaid significant “churns”, either facilitate or impede the march of the Rule of Law in the contemporary Indian society.
Extolling on these churnings Prof. Panday said that there is a need to see how these churnings are affecting the rule of Law. The growing economic inequalities, giving extra premium to invasive technologies, growing populism of religious majoritarianism etc are playing havoc with the key tenants of Rule of Law which is the source of modern Constitutional Democracy. He urged the students of Law and the legal fraternity to be conscious of these churnings and try to up keep the morality of Rule of law intact.
Prof. K.Vidyullatha Reddy the Registrar NALSAR University of law gave vote of thanks.
