The Himachal Pradesh National Law University and its Centre for Environment and Disaster Management organized Two- Day International Conference on Environmental Rule of Law and Justice. The International Conference was organized under the leadership of Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Nishtha Jaswal at the University campus on 3rd and 4th June, 2023.
The Conference aimed to deliberate the need to analyze and understand how Environmental Rule of Law can bring Environmental Justice. Various researchers, academicians, legal practitioners, and industry professionals across India and from abroad, including administrative officers from India and academicians from London School of Economics and from Mauritius, participated in this conference to identify the issues on the theme of Environmental Rule of Law.
The Conference was organized in a hybrid mode in which the inaugural was held at the University while participants presented their papers offline as well as online.Valedictory Session was held today on 4rd June, and Welcome Address was delivered by Prof. (Dr.) Nishtha Jaswal in which she stated that environment does not just include physical environment but also social, economic and political environment and this needs coordination amongst all of these for culmination of an idea of “Harit Vasudha” or ‘Green Earth’.
The Guest of Honour, Prof. (Dr.) S. Shantakumar, Vice-Chancellor GNLU, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, delivered his address in which he stressed the need for robust mechanisms for implementation of sustainable development practices and for active participation of all stakeholders in environment policy making.
The Valedictory Address was delivered by Prof. (Dr.) P. S. Jaswal, Vice-Chancellor, SRM University, Sonipat, in which he discussed and expounded the concept of Environment Rule of Law from the concept of Rule of Law and stated that Rule of Law is a handsome son of an ugly mother where handsome son means perfection and ugly mother means chaos.
The Chief Guest for the Valedictory Session, Prof. (Dr.) Ranbir Singh, Pro-Chancellor, IILM Law School, IILM University, Gurugram, Haryana, Delhi, delivered his address in which he stated discussed the stories of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and sensitized the audience about the impact of mountains of solid waste at the outskirts of Delhi and later summed up his address by stating that today’s crises of Environment Pollution is equivalent to "death of birth".
The Valedictory Session closed with a Report of the Conference and the Vote of Thanks was delivered by Prof (Dr.) S.S. Jaswal Registrar, Himachal Pradesh National Law University.Two hundred and thirty participants submitted their papers on various themes of the Conference and one hundred and two participants presented papers on various aspects of Environmental Rule of Law.
The presenters deliberated on various aspects of Environment and Law through their research papers in ten technical sessions of which five sessions were held today. The Conveners of the International Conference, Dr. Alok Kumar and Dr. Chandreshwari Minhas, organized the event.