AID Philadelphia presents: Democracy and the Judiciary: Prospects for India in 21st Century

A Roundtable Discussion with Honourable Supreme Court Chief Justice and Notable Luminaries of India's Legal System, niversity of Pennsylvania Law School faculty, and Members of the Indian American Community

It has been mentioned in many quarters of the international media that the 21st century would be an 'Asian century' referring to the emergence of China and India as economic powerhouses. Yet, no assessment of any country in this global age of rights can be complete without evaluating its commitment to democratic ideals and the strength of its democratic institutions of state and society. In this regard India has time and again loudly proclaimed its democratic credentials, mostly with reference to its electoral successes. This round-table will go beyond this focus on electoral politics to look at the 'heart' of any democracy: its judicial system. Some major areas of focus will be: What are some of the key concerns of the Indian judicial system in the 21st century? How have the various institutions within the judiciary approached questions of judicial accountability? In a global context of rapidly increasing wealth inequities combined with long-entrenched social and political hierarchies, and global and national discourse of 'terror', how does the judiciary view itself vis-à-vis safeguarding democratic institutions such as due process and civil liberties?

WHEN: April 7, Tuesday, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
WHERE: Ben Franklin Room (Room 218), Houston Hall, University of Pennsylvania [3417 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 - http://www.upenn.edu/admissions/tour/tourstop.php?stop=5 - call 267-252-6638 if you have problem finding/entering the place. ]

Participants:
     Hon’ble Mr. Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India
     Hon’ble Dr. Justice Arijit Pasayat, Judge, Supreme Court of India
     Mr. Rakesh Munjal, Senior Advocate – Member, Governing Council / Academic Council, ILI
     Mr. T. K. Viswanathan IAS, Law Secretary, Govt. of India / Member, Executive Committee, ILI
     Dr. R. K. Chauhan, Secretary, UGC/ Member, Finance Committee, ILI
     Dr. S. Sivakumar, Officiating Director, ILI
     Mr. Dalip Kumar, Registrar, ILI/Implementing Officer of the Indian Law  Institute
Members of the Indian American community.
Faculty and Students of University of Pennsylvania.

Co-Hosted by:
* The Law School at the University of Pennsylvania
* The Philadelphia chapter of Association for India's Development (AID)
For more information call 267-252-6638.

View Report:  Democracy and the Judiciary Roundtable Raises Issues of Judicial Accountability