Day-4: Five days Faculty Development Programme On Advancing Research, Pedagogy and Practice in Legal Academia

Event Date: 5th Feb, 2026

Event brief description

The Faculty Development Programme featured four engaging sessions addressing contemporary intersections of law, policy, and research. The first session by Gautam Shahi examined the proposed Digital Competition Bill, highlighting the need for ex-ante regulation of dominant digital platforms. He discussed challenges such as data monopolies, algorithmic control, and systemic market power, and explained regulatory concepts like Systemically Significant Digital Enterprises (SSDEs), interoperability, and consumer protection within global comparative frameworks.

The second session by B. T. Kaul critically analysed India’s Industrial Relations Code, 2020. He traced the consolidation of labour laws and evaluated provisions on trade unions, dispute resolution, strikes, retrenchment, and fixed-term employment, balancing ease of doing business with concerns over labour protections.

In the third session, Priya Rai of National Law University, Delhi focused on effective use of legal databases. She demonstrated structured research strategies, Boolean techniques, and the use of platforms like Westlaw, JSTOR, SSRN, and Google Scholar to ensure accuracy and depth.

The final session by Amol Kulkarni from CUTS International emphasised translating research into policy and professional practice through empirical tools, regulatory impact assessment, stakeholder consultation, and evidence-based regulatory design.

Event Detailed Description

The Faculty Development Programme comprised four intellectually stimulating sessions that collectively explored the intersections of law, policy, research methodology, and regulatory practice in contemporary India. Each session addressed a distinct yet interconnected dimension of legal scholarship and governance, offering participants both theoretical grounding and applied insights.

The first session, delivered by Mr. Gautam Shahi on “Examining the Digital Competition Bill: An Applied Policy and Regulatory Perspective,” focused on the emerging regulatory challenges posed by digital markets. Mr. Shahi contextualised the need for a specialised competition framework to address issues such as market concentration, data monopolies, algorithmic dominance, and anti-competitive conduct by large digital platforms. He critically examined the limitations of traditional, ex-post competition law mechanisms in fast-evolving digital ecosystems and explained the rationale for adopting an ex-ante regulatory approach. The session analysed key policy features of the proposed Digital Competition Bill, including the concept of Systemically Significant Digital Enterprises (SSDEs), data-sharing obligations, interoperability requirements, and consumer protection measures. By drawing on comparative global developments, the session enabled participants to appreciate the broader policy shift towards proactive digital market regulation.

The second session was conducted by Prof. B.T. Kaul on “India’s New Industrial Relations Code: A Critical Assessment.” Prof. Kaul situated the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 within the larger context of India’s labour law reforms aimed at consolidation and simplification. He traced the historical evolution of industrial relations legislation and examined how the Code merges earlier laws governing trade unions, industrial disputes, and standing orders. The session critically analysed provisions relating to union recognition, dispute resolution, strikes and lockouts, fixed-term employment, and thresholds for layoffs and retrenchment. Prof. Kaul offered a balanced perspective by acknowledging the government’s objective of improving ease of doing business while raising concerns about potential dilution of labour protections and collective bargaining rights. The interactive discussion encouraged participants to reflect on the Code’s capacity to balance economic efficiency with social justice.

The third session, led by Dr. Priya Rai, Head Librarian at National Law University, Delhi, focused on “Effective Strategies to Use Legal Database Tools.” Emphasising that accuracy lies at the core of quality research, Dr. Rai highlighted the growing importance of digital legal research skills. She guided participants through systematic research methodologies, stressing the value of starting with secondary sources before engaging with primary materials. The session provided practical training on Boolean searches, phrase searching, citation tracking, and the use of advanced filters. Demonstrations of subscription-based databases such as Westlaw and JSTOR, along with open-access platforms like SSRN and Google Scholar, enriched participants’ understanding of efficient and reliable research practices.

The fourth session, delivered by Mr. Amol Kulkarni of CUTS International, addressed “Translating Research into Practice: Engaging with Policy and Profession.” The lecture bridged academic research with real-world policy impact, highlighting methods of problem identification, empirical research, regulatory impact assessment, and stakeholder consultation. Through practical examples, the session offered a roadmap for transforming doctrinal and empirical research into effective, socially responsive policy engagement.

Department Name: School of Law, Galgotias University

Event Outcome 

The Faculty Development Programme enhanced participants’ understanding of contemporary legal and regulatory developments by integrating doctrinal analysis with policy and practice-oriented perspectives. The sessions strengthened conceptual clarity on emerging areas such as digital competition regulation and labour law reforms, enabling participants to critically engage with evolving legislative and regulatory frameworks.

The programme also significantly improved participants’ legal research capabilities through hands-on training in advanced database tools and systematic research methodologies, promoting accuracy and efficiency in academic work. Additionally, the focus on translating research into policy and professional practice encouraged participants to adopt impact-driven approaches to legal scholarship.

Overall, the FDP contributed to capacity building in legal teaching, research, and policy engagement, fostering a holistic understanding of the intersection between law, governance, and contemporary regulatory challenges.

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