INAUGURAL HNLU CSJ IJR CONFERENCE 8th Dec 2025

Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur, organised a landmark one-day conference on “Justice Delivery Mechanisms and Institutional Capacity” on 8 December 2025, in collaboration with:

• Centre for Criminal Law and Jurisprudence (CCLJ)
• Centre for Law and Human Rights (CLHR)
• Centre for Social Justice (CSJ)
• India Justice Report (IJR)

The conference served as a state-level dialogue platform for stakeholders across Chhattisgarh, focusing on strengthening the four pillars of the justice system—Police, Judiciary, Prisons, and Legal Aid.
Over 55 participants from diverse institutions contributed to the discussions.

Conference Overview

The conference aimed to advance India’s constitutional mandate of “Justice for All”, highlighting gaps, on-ground challenges, and reform strategies.

Key Themes Discussed

The event centred around assessing institutional capacity and improving access to justice, with a focus on:

• Systemic gaps in the justice system
• Legal aid delivery mechanisms
• Human resource shortages
• Prison overcrowding and inmate welfare
• The impact of new criminal laws
• Collaborative models for justice reforms

Inaugural Session Highlights

The conference began with the presentation of key insights from the Centre for Social Justice Report, delivered by Ms. Nupur, Managing Trustee, CSJ. She emphasised systemic issues affecting women and vulnerable groups.

Mr. Valay Singh, Lead, India Justice Report, presented comparative findings from the 4th Edition of the India Justice Report, offering a state-wise analysis of justice delivery infrastructure.

Prof. (Dr.) V.C. Vivekanandan, Vice-Chancellor, HNLU, in his presidential address:

• Highlighted gaps between constitutional expectations and institutional capacities
• Emphasised the role of law universities in legal reform and capacity building
• Stressed strengthening justice delivery mechanisms through training & clinical legal education

The CSJ report titled “Assessing the Effectiveness of Justice Delivery Mechanisms in Ensuring Access to Justice – CSJ” was formally released during the session.

Voices from the Field: HNLU CSJ IJR Collaboration

Advocates Divya Jaiswal, Gayatri, and Shobharam Gilhare shared ground-level experiences related to:

• Grassroots legal aid
• Barriers faced by marginalised communities
• Lived realities of accessing justice in rural spaces

Panel Discussions: Police Judiciary Prisons Legal Aid

Panel I: Building Justice Capacity in Chhattisgarh – Judiciary & Legal Aid

Moderator: Prof. Vishnu Konoorayar
Key Speakers: Parth Tiwari • Ms. Nupur • Mr. Valay Singh • Ms. Medha Deo • Ms. Shruti Naik

Key discussion points:

• Importance of para-legal volunteers in remote regions
• Need for full-time dedicated legal aid lawyers
• Comparative data on judiciary, police, prisons & legal aid
• Role of social support structures and law schools in fair trial rights

Panel II: Policing for People

Moderator: Dr. Archana Gharote
Key Speakers: Dr. Vipul Mudgal • Dr. Deepak Kumar Srivastava • Dr. Parvesh Kumar Rajput

Main insights:

• Findings from Status of Policing in India Report 2025
• Urgent need for capacity building under new criminal laws
• HNLU’s initiatives in police training programs
• Strengthening community-centred policing models

Panel III: Justice Capacity in Chhattisgarh – Prisons

Moderator: Mr. Abhinav Shukla
Key Speakers: Sunil Gupta • Ms. Sarab Lamba • Dr. Upneet Lalli

Key issues discussed:

• Overcrowding and infrastructure deficits
• Mental health concerns of inmates
• Need for gender-sensitive prison policy
• Improving legal aid delivery inside prisons

Four Pillars of Justice Delivery Discussed at the Conference

               Justice Delivery System
                         │
 ┌────────────┬──────────────┬─────────────┬──────────────┐
 │    Police   │   Judiciary  │   Prisons    │   Legal Aid   │
 │ Capacity    │ Case Load &  │ Overcrowding │ Access to     │
 │ Training    │ Performance  │ Reforms      │ Counsel       │
 └────────────┴──────────────┴─────────────┴──────────────┘

Conclusion of the Conference

A consolidated report of the day’s sessions was presented by Dr. Kaumudhi Challa.
The conference concluded with a vote of thanks from Dr. Kiran Kori, Head, Centre for Law and Human Rights.

Faculty members Mr. Jeevan Sagar, Dr. Eritriya Roy, Ms. Apurva Sharma, and Mr. Pintu Majhi anchored the sessions, ensuring smooth coordination.