St. Joseph’s College of Law (SJCL) is approved by the Bar Council of India (BCI), New Delhi and affiliated to Karnataka State Law University, Hubbali. St. Joseph’s College of Law has forayed into the area of imparting legal education in the academic year 2017- 2018.It is the first ever Jesuit Law College in South Asia. The Jesuits also run other premier institutions in India, like Loyola College, Chennai, St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta and St. Xavier’s College Mumbai. The Institution is driven by the ideology of faith and labour that is resonated in the motto of the College “FIDE ET LABORE”. At St. Joseph’s College of Law, we are driven with the vision to produce competent, ethically sound lawyers who are committed to the cause of transforming society.
About the Conference:
The twenty-first century has transformed the relationship between education, democracy, and leadership. Artificial intelligence, digital governance, climate change, widening inequalities, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological innovation demand graduates who are not only professionally competent but also ethically grounded, socially responsible, and committed to constitutional values. India’s young population represents one of the world’s greatest democratic assets. Yet access to quality higher education continues to be shaped by structural inequalities involving caste, class, gender, disability, language, region, and the digital divide. Contemporary debates surrounding reservation, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, privatisation, digital learning, entrance examinations, campus governance, academic freedom, and student welfare demonstrate that higher education is no longer merely an educational issue; it is increasingly a question of constitutional rights, social justice, and democratic participation.
Recognising these realities, St. Joseph’s College of Law (SJCL), Bengaluru, is organising the National Undergraduate Conference on the theme ‘Reimagining the Right to Higher Education and Democratic Participation in a Changing World’ on 09 October 2026 in hybrid mode to provide an interdisciplinary platform where students critically examine the evolving relationship between higher education, youth leadership, constitutional governance, technology, human rights, and inclusive development.
The conference welcomes original research from undergraduate students across disciplines and seeks to encourage informed dialogue, innovative ideas, and policy-oriented scholarship that contributes to building a more equitable, democratic, and inclusive society.
Conference Objectives:
- Promote undergraduate research on contemporary legal, social, and policy issues.
- Encourage interdisciplinary scholarship on education, democracy, and leadership.
- Foster constitutional values, social justice, and responsible citizenship.
- Examine emerging challenges created by AI, digital technologies, and governance.
- Inspire innovative solutions for inclusive and sustainable democratic futures.
Conference Themes:
1 Theme I: The Right to Higher Education: Constitutionalism, Equality and Educational Justice Constitutional rights, Human rights, RTE and higher education, Academic freedom, Educational reforms, Access and inclusion, International perspectives
2 Theme II: Youth Leadership and Democratic Governance Civic engagement , Student leadership, Constitutional values, Public policy, Electoral participation, Democratic innovation, Local governance
3 Theme III: Reservation, Equity and Social Justice Reservation debates, Merit and equality, Representation, Faculty diversity, Campus discrimination, Private institutions
4 Theme IV: Artificial Intelligence, Technology and the Future of Education AI ethics, Digital learning & Usage of AI, Classroom education in the age of AI, Doctrinal Research and AI, Empirical Research and AI, AI as teachers
5 Theme V: Digital Inclusion and Educational Access Digital divide, Internet access, Online learning, Digital literacy, Educational infrastructure, Technology and equality
Who Can Participate?
Undergraduate students from Law, Political Science, Public Policy, Sociology, Economics, Management, Commerce, Psychology, Education, Media Studies, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, and other allied disciplines.
Presentation Mode:
In-Person Presentation
All participants based in Bengaluru are required to attend the conference in person.
Address: No. 18, Field Marshal Cariappa Road (formerly Residency Road), Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560025
Hybrid Option
Participants residing outside Bengaluru can opt for online presentations.
Important Dates:
Deadline for submission of abstract: 08 September 2026
Notification of selection of abstract: 12 September 2026
Last date for registration: 16 September 2026
Submission of full paper: 28 September 2026
Conference date: 09 October 2026
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
- Authors are required to submit an abstract of 300 words with 5-6 keywords in MS Word format (.doc/.docx).
- Submission of the abstract to be made via the Registration Link provided below.
- The full paper should contain a minimum of 3,000-4,000 words, inclusive of footnotes. All submissions must follow the Bluebook 20th Edition citation style.
- The manuscript should be in Times New Roman, font size 12, 1.5 line spacing, with footnotes in size 10.
- Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. A paper is permitted to have a maximum of two authors. The co-author must register separately.
- Similarity index below 10%; plagiarism or unacknowledged AI content will result in disqualification.
- Only authors whose abstracts the committee accepts will be permitted to present their papers. The committee will consider the best papers presented during the conference for publication, subject to peer review.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:
Best Paper Award
Second Best Paper Award
Third Best Paper
Awards will be determined by an expert evaluation panel considering originality, research methodology, analytical quality, relevance to the conference theme, and effectiveness of paper presentation.
REGISTRATION FEES:
SJCL UG Student : 300 Rupees
NON – SJCL UG Student: 500 Rupees
HOW TO REGISTER:
Registration link: https://events.sjcl.edu.in
Last Date for Registration: 15 September 2026
Please note: the registration fee should only be paid after receiving the acceptance email for your abstract. If anyone makes the payment before their abstract is accepted and it is subsequently not accepted, the committee will not be responsible for refunding the amount.
ORGANISING TEAM:
Chief Patron
Dr. Daniel Fernandes SJ
Vice President, BJES & Director, SJCL
Patrons
Dr. Pauline Priya S (Principal)
Shobha R (Vice Principal)
Fr. Harry Terry SJ (Finance Officer)
Coordinators
Dr. Rajrupa Sinha Roy (Assistant Professor of Law)
Dr. Amit Anand (Assistant Professor of Law)
Ms Lincy Joykutty (Assistant Professor of Law)
FOR ANY QUERIES
Please mail at: research@sjcl.edu.in
St. Joseph’s College of Law, Bengaluru • Approved by the Bar Council of India (BCI), New Delhi • Affiliated to Karnataka State Law University, Hubballi
FIDE ET LABORE
We look forward to welcoming you on 09 October 2026 — Hybrid Mode.
For more details refer here
