The Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer Chair on Human Rights, School of Legal Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, is organizing a Two-Day International Hybrid Conference on ‘Constitutionalisation of International Human Rights: Domestic Perspective’ on August 18th and 19th, 2025, to foster scholarly dialogue on the integration of international human rights norms within domestic constitutional frameworks.
About Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer Chair on Human Rights
The Chair, established in memory of the Late Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, former judge of the Supreme Court of India and a prominent advocate for Human Rights renowned for his influential legal decisions, is dedicated to advancing the human rights-centered legal principles developed by him. Its principal objective is to foster awareness about human rights, particularly among students and educators, and to instil a compassionate approach across all spheres of life. Through a variety of impactful outreach initiatives, workshops, and seminars, this Chair endeavours to address topics such as healthcare, patients’ rights, privacy rights, socio-economic rights, and other rights. Furthermore, the Chair actively engages in providing educational sessions on human rights in colleges where Human Rights and Duties Education is integrated into the curriculum. It also conducts online Faculty Development Programs and training sessions for educators. The vision of the Chair is to pinpoint areas characterized by widespread human rights violations and to implement preventive measures through various interventions, thereby contributing significantly to the protection and promotion of human rights.
In March 2024, the esteemed former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice K. M. Joseph, has assumed the role of Chair Professor, guiding the activities of the Chair. With his wealth of experience and deep understanding of legal matters, Justice Joseph brings invaluable insights to the mission of promoting human rights-centered legal principles established by late Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer. Under his leadership, the Chair is poised to further its objectives of raising awareness about human rights, conducting outreach initiatives, and implementing preventive measures to protect and promote human rights. Justice Joseph’s stewardship ensures a continued commitment to advancing justice and compassion in society, in line with the ethos of the Chair.
About the Conference
The Two-Day International Hybrid Conference on ‘Constitutionalisation of International Human Rights: Domestic Perspective’, organized by the Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer Chair on Human Rights at the School of Legal Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology, seeks to explore the evolving relationship between international human rights standards and national constitutional frameworks. Scheduled for August 18th and 19th, 2025, this academic event aims to bring together legal scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and students from across the globe to engage in meaningful dialogue on how international human rights norms are interpreted, implemented, and internalized within various domestic legal systems. The conference will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, and paper presentations covering a range of issues including constitutional jurisprudence, legislative adaptation, judicial enforcement, and comparative constitutional analysis.
The primary objective of the conference is to critically examine the processes through which international human rights principles gain constitutional recognition and authority within domestic jurisdictions. It aims to identify the challenges, opportunities, and implications of such constitutionalisation in different political and legal contexts, with a special emphasis on the Global South. By encouraging interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, the conference seeks to contribute to the broader discourse on human rights protection, constitutional reform, and the role of judiciary and civil society in advancing human rights at the national level. Through this initiative, the Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer Chair on Human Rights continues its commitment to promoting justice, equity, and the rule of law in alignment with international human rights ideals.
Call for Papers
Research papers are invited from academicians, researchers, practitioners, social workers and students on the broad themes given below.
Themes
The conference will focus on the constitutionalisation of international human rights from a domestic perspective, examining the ethical, legal, and socio-political dimensions involved in integrating global human rights norms into national constitutional frameworks. We invite contributions that engage with the various facets of this complex relationship, including but not limited to:
- Incorporation of International Human Rights Norms into National Constitutions
- Role of the Judiciary in Advancing Constitutional Human Rights Jurisprudence
- Comparative Constitutional Perspectives on Human Rights
- Constitutional Amendments and Legislative Reforms in Response to International Human Rights Obligations
- Challenges and Opportunities in Domestic Implementation of International Human Rights Standards
Programme Mode:
Hybrid
Day 1:
Offline Technical Sessions by Experts at Conference Hall, School of Legal Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala (Paper presenters can attend online)
Day 2:
Online paper presentations
Registration Fees
- For single authors: 750
- In the case of two authors: 1000
The fee can be paid to:
Coordinator
Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer Chair on Human Rights, School of Legal Studies Account No. 67177926340
Bank: SBI CUSAT Campus Branch
IFS Code: SBIN0070235
All the participants will get an E-certificate for a successful presentation at the conference.
Guidelines for Submission
- There is no abstract
- The registration shall be made along with the full paper
- The registration and submission of full papers must be submitted electronically via Google form: https://forms.gle/GWiKvYnyCNgbnqhV6
- by on or before August 7th,
- All the full papers submitted adhering to the submission guidelines will be accepted for presentation.
- The paper must be submitted only in Microsoft Word format
- Co-authorship is allowed only up to two
- All submissions must have an appropriate article title which is different from the
- The maximum word limit of the article must be 3500 – 4500 words, excluding
- Font and size: Times New Roman, size 12 (for main text). Times New Roman, size 10 (for footnotes).
- Size and alignment: A4 size, with 54 cm margin (normal margin).
- All headings must follow the format of first letter caps (e.g. History of Human Rights in India)
- All text should be
- The paper must be accompanied by a cover page containing details such as the Title of the Paper, Theme of the Paper, Name of the Author, University/ Institution/ Organization, Email Address and Mobile
- Footnoting: OSCOLA 4th Edition
- All entries must be original and unpublished work of the author(s) and should not have been submitted for publication/published elsewhere in any
- All articles must be plagiarism-free; however, similarity up to 15% with proper footnoting and AI content up to 5% is allowed.
* Submissions which does not adhere to the guidelines will be summarily rejected.
Publication of Papers
The organisers propose to publish the selected best papers of the conference as an edited book with an ISBN Number.
For any queries, contact: vrkchair@cusat.ac.in
Dr. Aneesh V. Pillai, Coordinator, Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer Chair on Human Rights, +91-8606558242
Nandana Rajesh, Research Assistant, Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer Chair on Human Rights, +91-8921782588
