Video

National Constitution Society Convention | IIHS, Bangalore | Session V

November 23, 2018

In 2018, the Centre for Law and Policy Research, Bangalore (CLPR) initiated a network of Constitution societies in schools and colleges across India to be known as the National Constitution Society (NCS). Through its institutional chapters and a central Society, it looks to critically engage with India’s constitutional inheritance.

In November 2018, CLPR organised a one-day All India National Constitution Society Convention that brought together student delegates from institutions across the country along with academics, lawyers and activists. This one-day event presented Student Delegates with the opportunity to critically engage with the history and contemporary relevance of the Indian Constitution and develop a plan to preserve, protect and promote constitutional values in the 21st century. Towards the end of the Convention, in its Plenary Session, the delegates elected the first Student Board Members for the NCS. This video covers Session V of the event. Find the summary of the session below:

Session V: A National Constitution Society for India: The Need for Student Action

Babu Mathew, Visiting Professor, National Law School of India University; Trade Union Activist

Badrinarayan Seetharaman (Discussant), Co-Founder, Gathr

Professor Babu Mathew urged the students to mobilize to protect and popularize the Constitution by engaging in non-party political work. For pragmatism’s sake, he asked the students to form a ‘common minimum agenda’ to maximise student unity. He offered the students the Indian Freedom Movement as an example of how civic leaders with common intentions came together despite their differences in politics, ideology and personality.

Assistant Professor Sidharth Chauhan spoke about his own experiences in setting up societies and organising discussions around the Constitution in NALSAR. He spoke about different ways in which Students across disciplines can work towards popularising the Constitution through academic and co-curricular activities.