ABOUT SVKM

Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM), a public charitable trust registered under the Societies Registration Act and the Bombay Public Trusts Act, has been dedicated to delivering high-quality education since 1934. Starting with the Rashtriya Shala, a school founded in 1921 during the National Movement, SVKM now educates over 35,000 students. Rooted in patriotic fervor, selfless service, and indigenous enterprise, these values guide all SVKM institutions. Over the decades, it has evolved into a nationally recognized educational enterprise across diverse streams. With a commitment to holistic student development and a strong internal community, SVKM combines state-of-the-art infrastructure with a modern educational vision.

ABOUT PGCL

Established in 2004 under SVKM, the Pravin Gandhi College of Law (PGCL) is permanently affiliated with the University of Mumbai and is committed to delivering quality education that meets global and local standards. The college offers a 5-Year Integrated B.A.LL.B. program, a 2-Year LL.M. with specializations in Business Law, Criminal Law, and Criminal Administration, and a 1-Year Post-Graduate Diploma in Cyber Law and IT each approved by the University of Mumbai. PGCL is the first and only law college under the University of Mumbai to be awarded an ‘A+’ Grade with a 3.28 CGPA by NAAC in its first accreditation cycle, recognizing its excellence in academics, teaching innovation, and holistic student development.

Guided by a vision to produce competent and socially aware legal professionals, PGCL focuses on interdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, and the pursuit of justice with compassion. Its commitment to nurturing academic spaces that stimulates intellectual curiosity is reflected in its initiatives, notably the Annual Conference, held consistently since 2017. In its previous editions, the conference has explored themes intersecting law with education, inclusivity, media, gender, sustainable development, and democracy. This year’s theme, Law and Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Discourse, continues this legacy by offering a platform for academicians, practitioners, and scholars to engage in cross-disciplinary dialogue and explore the evolving ethical dimensions of legal practice.

ABOUT THE 9th EDITION OF PGCL’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE

One of the core questions that law seeks to address is: ‘What should one do?’ This inquiry is closely tied to ethics, which offer guiding principles to balance individual choices with collective good. While law provides enforceable rules for societal order, ethics shape the moral compass behind those rules.

The relationship between law and ethics raises important questions: Do ethical values form the basis of some laws, like those protecting human rights? Can certain laws, such as those concerning euthanasia, abortion, or marital rape, conflict with societal morals? How do legal systems respond when actions are ethical but illegal or legal but morally debated? These dilemmas demand interdisciplinary exploration. In today’s global context, such challenges are heightened by concerns like environmental degradation, poverty, technology, and socio-political conflict. Issues such as AI raise ethical concerns about privacy and accountability, while the refugee crisis tests legal and moral duties of states toward displaced populations.

This year’s conference aims to investigate these ethico-legal complexities through a multidisciplinary lens, drawing on fields such as anthropology, sociology, philosophy, theology, literature, journalism, and cinema. It seeks to foster a nuanced dialogue on how law and ethics shape human behaviour, justice, and the balance between individual rights and societal values while navigating the tension between what is legal and what is ethical.

CALL FOR PAPERS

We invite papers from legal professionals, academicians, practitioners, and students across disciplines to address the theme of
the conference- ‘Law and Ethics’ from varied perspectives.

SUGGESTED THEMES (NON-EXHAUSTIVE)

The list of suggested themes is not exhaustive. Participants are encouraged to explore various other sub-themes that align with the main theme of our conference: Law and Ethics.

• Theoretical, philosophical or applied approaches to legal ethics
• Intersection of morality and law
• Ethics in legal practice
• Judicial Ethics
• Role of society, culture, and religious ethics in legal systems
• Ethical concerns in Artificial Intelligence and Tech-law
• Ethics in corporate and business laws
• Constitutional Morality
• Environmental Ethics
• Inclusivity and ethical considerations
• Bioethics
• Duty vs Rights within the moral dilemma
• The role of ethics in judicial decision-making
• Contemporary ethical debates in landmark cases
• Moral philosophy and its role in shaping contemporary legal systems
• Legal-ethical dilemmas in fiction and cinema
• Ethics in literature

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The following are the guidelines for the submissions of abstract, papers and presentations. All participants are advised to strictly adhere to these guidelines and tailor their submissions accordingly.

ABSTRACT

• All prospective participants are required to submit an abstract of maximum 500 words in the link provided below. 
• The abstract submission must contain the Name and email of the author, list of references, 3 keywords and the working title of the paper.
• Co-authorship is permitted and limited to two authors per paper.
• Abstracts must only be uploaded on the link provided, any other mode of submission is not permissible.
• Abstracts will be considered only after the fee payment.

PAPER PRESENTATION

• Selected papers will be called upon for a 15-minute presentation at the conference.
• Papers may be presented in-absentia (online) at request of participants.
• A ‘Best Paper Presented’ certificate will be awarded to the best presenter.
• Participants whose abstracts are not selected are welcome to attend the conference and will be awarded a certificate of participation.

Official Links:- 

• Official Brochure :- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Tr53B2VMLMKBAxq9Tzah-LsI8zoaxRqf/view?usp=sharing
• Official Poster :- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k7hZoFNdoq_QcwYeJbopZM74s27rb4WX/view?usp=sharing