Amity Law School, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, organized an International Conference on Comparative Law in collaboration with School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Australia, on virtual platform.
The two-day Conference aimed to provide an opportunity to legal professionals, learned members of the academia, erudite research scholars and students to explore, asses and compare the legal order of two or more countries, deemed suitable to them, with the lone stipulation that India or Australia, must be taken as the basal of such comparison.
Addressing the gathering on this occasion, Chief Guest Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Gyan Sudha Misra, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India, averred, “Comparative Law is a comparative study of the law and legal systems of two or more countries. It emerges from the idea that we can learn from each other. Going back to world history, we see that Roman Law, Egyptian Laws and other laws and even scriptures were customised into legal precepts. In this era of globalization and digitization, having a separate discipline of comparative law is of extreme significance. Comparative Law enables us to understand the dynamics under which the legal system of different countries function. Adopting a comparative approach helps acquire a deeper understanding of one’s own legal system by virtue of its ability to assess and appreciate the similarities and distinctions amongst legislations, legal institutions, political framework, social ideologies, policies and rules prevalent in corresponding jurisdictions. This comparison, may be ‘bilateral’ i.e., between two distinct legal regimes or ‘multilateral’ involving a comparative analysis of more than two legal systems. The definite aim is however, betterment and strengthening of the domestic legal structure.”
The Guest of Honour, Dr. Abdulla Rasheed Ahmed, Minister of State for Education, Republic of Maldives, remarked, “Today, countries and societies are engaged in international businesses therefore a deep understanding of the legal systems of other countries is highly essential. Through this conference, the knowledge of legal professionals will definitely be enhanced and enriched. Developed countries invest their time on creativity and innovation while the people of developing countries keep doing routine things, without any unique or innovative thought process. Therefore, studying comparative law helps us in devising a mechanism by which we can research, innovate and create emerging ideas and techniques, which are crucial in today’s day and age of globalization.”
Speaking on this occasion, Hon’ble Mr. Justice P.K. Srivastava, Chairperson, Law Commission of Uttar Pradesh, said, “We have a voluminous constitution which was enforced in 1950 therefore it took aid and assistance from various other democracies, which were formed before India. The Indian Constitution was framed by incorporating various rules and regulations of other constitutions such as the US, UK and Australian constitution. Australian constitution came into being in 1900, 50 years before India, hence India derived many aspects from the Australian Constitution. Law is an ever growing and evolving phenomenon and amendments in various laws have been made from time to time, in all constitutions of the world.”
Explaining the Lebanese Judiciary System, Guest of Honour Hon’ble Ms. Najat Abou Chacra, Investigative Judge, Military Court, Beirut, Lebanon, stated, “The Lebanese judiciary system is divided into many branches including the Judicial Judiciary, the Administrative Judiciary, the Financial Judiciary and Religious Judiciary. Each branch has its own unique function and mode of operation which together forms the basis of a comprehensive, all-encompassing judicial system. When we compare our laws with the laws of other countries, we are able to handle the situations more efficiently by learning from other legal systems.”
Delivering the Keynote Address Prof. (Dr.) N.K. Sinha, Vice- Chancellor Himalayan Garhwal University, stated, “Amity University has a global reputation and it is a matter of extreme pleasure and pride that this Conference has been organized by Amity. We all, as individuals, rely heavily on our legal systems and therefore it is imperative to understand the various aspects of the legal system of not only our country but of different countries of the world. Legal System governs the world, it is the ultimate system of change, it has the potential to reform the society and it is a facilitator of justice which helps in achieving socio-economic development and protects the primary rights of individuals.”
Sharing his views on the occasion, Prof. (Dr.) G.S. Bajpai, Vice-Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala, averred, “Comparative Law is a discipline emerging from various theories, discourses and academic concepts. Laws are developed in many ways, broadly categorised into two types- Macro and Micro. The Macro aspect deals with the comparison of the entire legal system while the micro aspect emphasises on the comparison between specific institutions of law. Comparative Law does not function in isolation and is integrated with many other disciplines for a comprehensive study, which not only deals with the legal aspects but also help in understanding the diverse cultures and backgrounds of different countries.”
Addressing the gathering on this occasion, Prof. (Dr.) D. K. Bandyopadhyay, Chairman, Amity Law Schools, said, “When we face challenges, we need to do things differently and approach the subject in a unique way. We have more than 150 papers to be presented during the conference and we have introduced five important themes in this Conference- Comparative Constitutional Law, Comparative Criminal Law, Comparative Media IPR and Technology Law and Comparative Family Law. Another noteworthy significance of this conference is taking forward the mandate of the National Education Policy, 2020 put forth by our Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi ji with a vision to strengthen better placement and internship. The Conference is in alignment with the vision and mission of our Hon'ble Founder President Sir to make our students industry ready and create true leaders of tomorrow which will bring pride to our country and help in realizing the vision of making India a super power.”
Welcoming the guests on this occasion, Prof. (Dr.) Aditya Tomer, Conference Chairperson and Additional Director, Jt. HoI, Amity Law School, Noida, said, “Comparative law deals with the issues of liberty and discrimination. Our journey started in the year 2019 and this is the third year of this significant Conference. Although every Legal System is unique, Comparative Law through studies of their similarities and differences allows for classification of Legal Systems, wherein Law Families is the basic level of the classification. A systematic application of various laws helps in understanding different issues and arriving at meaningful conclusions and solutions.”
More than 150 papers will be presented during the two-day conference and two major books- Conference Proceeding of 3rd International Conference, 2022 and Amity International Journal of Juridical Sciences (AIJJS), were released on this occasion.
The event witnessed representation from various countries, including Lebanon, Maldives, Australia, USA, Iran, UAE, Nigeria, UK, Bhutan, Singapore, Greece, Algeria, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Bulgaria, from 5 different continent, apart from the staff, faculty, students and researchers from Amity University.
During the two-day conference, five technical sessions will be conducted based on the five major themes-Comparative Institutional Law, Comparative Criminal Law, Comparative Media, IPR and Technology Law, Comparative Business Law and Comparative Family Law. The jury will select the best paper from each theme for special recognition in the valedictory ceremony that will conclude the finale day.