Amity Law School Noida organized the 5th International Conference on Comparative Law in collaboration with School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Australia, from 9th -10th February 2024. The two-day Conference comprised of six themes- Modalities of Comparative Law, Comparative Constitutional Law, Comparative Criminal Law and Human Rights, Comparative IPR, Technology Law and Emerging Legal Domains and Comparative Business Law and Comparative Family Law.
Addressing the law students of Amity, Chief Guest Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dipak Misra, Chief Justice of India (Retd), said, “The emergence of Comparative Law is attributable to several historical and legal developments, instilling a sense of belongingness and interconnectedness amongst the legal professionals from different parts of the world. There is a growing sense of urgency to understand and compare the laws, since the world is changing at a faster pace and therefore studying Comparative Law will be instrumental in influencing the policymakers of the Indian Judicial System to apply new concepts and ideologies to make it better.”
Introducing the Conference, Dr. Joshua N Aston, Associate Dean & Conference Co-Chair, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia, averred, “The Conference is a testament to collaboration and pursuit of knowledge across borders. It stands as a shining example of academic endeavours to enhance and develop the skills and knowledge of future law professionals. The collaboration is bound to foster cooperation and growth of various legal systems across the world and will inspire many generations of legal scholars.”
Emphasizing upon the significance of studying Comparative Law, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rajesh Tandon, Judge (Retd.), Uttarakhand High Court, asserted, “The purpose of studying Comparative Law is to learn from other judicial systems of the world. There is always scope for improvement and Comparative Law provides an insight on how the other legal systems of the world function. The conference will allow legal professionals, learned members of the academia, research scholars and students to explore, assess and compare the legal order of any two or more countries.”
Guest of Honour Mrs. Cecilia Inés Silberberg, Embassy Counselor and Consul Argentina Embassy, said, “Comparative law is helpful in understanding, analyzing and comparing the legal systems, encompassing the spirit globalization. During the pandemic, technology was used more for data theft during the pandemic and government guidelines were ignored, therefore, being aware of international cyber laws is extremely crucial for cyber security.”
Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha, Vice-Chancellor, Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur, “Global developments, transnational governance, and complex economic interdependence, aided by the development of new communication and information technologies, have contributed to making the legal profession more complex and contemporary. Therefore, Comparative Law has become of tremendous significance for the growth of modern legal societies and the Conference will be highly beneficial for law students in understanding the judicial systems of other countries and influencing the policymakers of the Indian Judicial System to apply new concepts and ideologies to make it better.”
Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Chairperson, Law Commission of India, stated, “Constitutional Comparative Law allows for a broader perspective by embracing novel thoughts and ideas and incorporating them into the judicial system, promoting a more robust approach. Constitutional Comparative Law helps legal practitioners to understand different legal structures and facilitates exchange of ideas. Legal professionals should draw inspiration from successful legal systems of the world and derive new concepts from them.”
Prof. (Dr.) Balvinder Shukla, Vice -Chancellor, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, said, “It is important for the students to study and compare the laws of different countries since it makes them aware about the judicial systems of different countries, thereby widening their horizon and developing their understanding of the legal systems. The two-day conference will not only bring new insights but also hep in collaboration in different areas such as student exchange programme, faculty exchange programme and cross-cultural exchange.”
Highlighting the significance of the Conference, Dr. D. K. Bandopadhyay, Chairman, Amity Law School, said, “Adopting a comparative approach helps to delve deep into one’s legal system to assess and appreciate the similarities and divergences amongst legislations, legal institutions, political frameworks, social ideologies, policies and rules in corresponding jurisdictions. With the advancement of trade, commerce and technology, the legal system have witnessed huge transformations, therefore it is pertinent to have knowledge of the best practices and adopt new methodologies for faster resolution of legal disputes.”
Also present during the Inaugural Session were Dr. Aditya Tomer and Dr. Shefali Raizada, Additional Directors, Amity Law School and a Conference Abstract Book was released on the occasion.
During the two-day Conference, more than 230 research papers were presented and representatives from different countries including Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Macedonia, Indonesia, Canada, Finland, USA, Germany, Sri Lanka, and International Universities such as Harvard Law School, USA, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, USA, Universitat autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, SciencesPo Law School, Paris, France, University of Lucerne, Switzerland, amongst many others, participated in the Conference.