Human Rights Committee- A report on Guest Lecture held on 20th August,2018

The theme for the Guest Lecture was ‘Challenging Humanity on the basis of Gender Identity: Section 377, IPC’. The event was graced by the presence of eminent personalities, having significant and impactful careers in Human Rights Lawyering with specifics in LGBTQ Rights- Prof.(Dr) Sarasu Esther Thomas, Professor of Law at NLSIU and Mr.Arvind Narrain, Founding member of Alternative Law Forum.

  
A fellow- HRC member announced the concept note that introduced the students to various landmark Supreme Court judgements that have shaped the issue at hand and thus, stirred the interest of the students in light of the anticipated SC judgement on the constitutionality of Section 377. Mr. Narrain gave useful insights into the journey of Section 377 and sketched its context in the Indian Scenario.  He enlightened the students on the fact that the ‘Heart of the Constitutional Order’ as envisaged by the Constituent Assembly is Constitutional Morality which roots for social inclusivity. Further, Mr. Narrain analysed the same in the light of the Puttaswamy Judgement and described ‘heterogeneity’ as integral to the ‘Right to Privacy’ while, privacy is integral to an individual’s self-actualization. He put forth concepts of ‘Right to intimate choice’, ‘right to love’ and explained the dissenting views, thus providing a bird’s eye view to the issue.
Such an insightful lecture was followed by Prof. (Dr.) Sarasu Esther Thomas’ lecture. She analysed the set motion in the context of Family Laws, its impact on international events such as the Olympics and family structures. Prof. (Dr.) Sarasu further stirred the interest of the students by providing contemporary impacts of the anticipated Sec.377 judgement. She explained how it would not only do away with Section 377’s atrocities but also lay down the doctrine of non-discrimination and equality.  She concluded the lecture by stating that after the said judgement, the world wouldn’t change dramatically but will sure be a step towards equality. This positively triggered the students to question the enormous amounts of insight they had received through a fruitful round of discussion.

Venue: Sky View, Central Block, 10th Floor
Day and Date: Monday, 20th August 2018
Time: 1:50 – 3:30 pm