The convocation brought together graduating students, their families, faculty members, alumni and distinguished national and international dignitaries to celebrate academic excellence, leadership, innovation, and public service.

The ceremonies commenced with a Welcome Address and Presentation of the University Report by Prof. (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU, who reflected on the University’s continued growth as a globally recognised institution committed to excellence in teaching, research, public service, and international collaborations. This was followed by the Chancellor’s Address by Mr. Naveen Jindal, Chancellor of JGU, who congratulated the graduating class and encouraged them to uphold the values of integrity, compassion, leadership, and nation-building throughout their professional and personal lives.

The occasion was graced with the presence of august luminaries, including Hon’ble Mr. Justice P.S. Narasimha, Judge, Supreme Court of India; Professor (Dr.) Dawn Freshwater, Executive Director, Worldwide Universities Network and Former Vice Chancellor, University of Auckland, New Zealand; Dr. Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School, Harvard University, USA; and Dr. Abhishek M. Singhvi, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha).

Mr. Naveen Jindal, Founding Chancellor, JGU, congratulated the graduating students and said, “You graduate at a remarkable time in history. This world is looking towards India with hope and confidence. We have one of the youngest nations in the world. We are becoming a global leader in technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, healthcare and research. But India’s strength will never be its economy alone. It will always be its 1.5 billion people and that is why your responsibility is much greater than that of previous generations. A degree may help you earn a livelihood but purpose gives meaning to your life. We dreamt of establishing this university as a fitting tribute to my father, Shri O.P. Jindal. He believed that the best gift you can give to anyone is a good-quality education. And he really believed in educating the girl child. This university is about creating a place where students would get a really conducive environment for learning.”

In his Convocation Address, the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Mr. Justice P.S. Narasimha, Judge, Supreme Court of India, congratulated the successful students and their parents and said, “Today, we celebrate years of perseverance, discipline, and aspiration. We celebrate families who stood by their children through moments of uncertainty. Teachers who encouraged their students to think beyond the obvious and an institution that has nurtured talent with care and conviction. JGU stands as a tribute to the vision and generosity of Shri O.P. Jindal, whose belief in nation-building through education continues to inspire generations, and JGU is definitely one such university. It has emerged as one of India’s leading multidisciplinary universities. Modern-day challenges compel the generation to transcend disciplinary boundaries of formal education. Society will expect not just competence from you but also judgment. Whatever profession you choose, you will become custodians of institutions, and the obligation remains the same: to strengthen the rule of law and create a fair and just society.”

Professor (Dr.) Dawn Freshwater, Executive Director, Worldwide Universities Network, and Former Vice Chancellor, University of Auckland, New Zealand, was the Special Guest of Honour. She said, “Graduation is a culmination of vision, belief, experimentation, and failure. But today is also a moment when graduating students can look forward to the next stage in their lives. It is my intention to cause you to pause, to look up and to speak, to consciously reflect on the responsibility that enjoying a higher education brings. How it shapes your role and future in society and why this societal shaping cannot be left to accident! You are required to be fully present and fully intentional. For centuries, knowledge was scarce. Information travelled slowly. Expertise took years to acquire. Today, all that knowledge is in your hands right now. Over the next decade, yes, we can expect artificial intelligence to become more capable, more autonomous and more integrated but we can also work towards sharing a universal ethic, an ethic of social responsibility. Your future lies not in trying to imitate AI but in cultivating the qualities that machines cannot and do not possess.”

Chief Guest, Professor (Dr.) Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School, Harvard University, USA, said in his Convocation Address, “Good knowledge knows no boundaries. The principles remain the same: an enduring curiosity is what leads you forward. You must learn to understand and embrace failure. Follow your curiosity wherever it takes you, accept that failure will come nine times out of ten, even 99 times out of a 100, and each time, pick yourself up, learn from the experience, and keep moving forward. You are about to embark on the next stage of your lives and careers, thinking about how you will grow and succeed. Let me tell you this: life is unlikely to unfold according to your plan. Instead, it follows a greater design whose wisdom is often beyond our understanding. The best advice I can offer is to embrace that journey, travel through it with an open mind and learn from every experience along the way.”

On the second day, Dr. Abhishek M. Singhvi, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India & Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), was the Chief Guest. He said, “Every convocation marks the completion of an academic journey, but the finest convocations remind us that they are, in truth, new beginnings. Each one of you has travelled a unique path defined by aspiration, sacrifice, perseverance, and achievement. Today, your accomplishments become part of the story of this institution, your profession, our nation and, indeed, humanity’s enduring pursuit of justice. Behind every graduate stands a story of encouragement, sacrifice and unwavering faith. Long before success was certain, you invested your time, energy and hope. You celebrated achievements, overcame disappointments, and quietly carried burdens that often went unseen. Knowledge alone will never be enough. Knowledge tells us what is possible; wisdom reminds us what is desirable. Skills enable us to earn a livelihood but values determine whether that livelihood serves society. Universities can impart knowledge but character is shaped collectively by the environment, experiences and people who influence us. Curiosity is the engine of progress and humility is its compass. That is why universities occupy such an important place in every civilisation. The true measure of a university lies in the questions it encourages, the ideas it nurtures, and the confidence with which it prepares its students to engage with a rapidly changing world. For this, I congratulate Shri Naveen Jindal on his vision in establishing JGU as a tribute to the memory of his father, Shri O.P. Jindal, whose unwavering commitment to education continues to inspire generations.”

Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU, said in his address at the Convocation, “This year, JGU marks 17 years of its establishment. Our journey began with the vision to bring world-class education to India. What started in 2009 as an idea with a single school has evolved into a 12-school multidisciplinary institution; an institution that brings faculty from 51 countries of the world, students from 160+ countries, and has collaborated with 600+ leading institutions from 80+ countries to bring international experiences to the Indian higher education system. As we have grown stronger with over 16,000 students, we have also ensured a consistent expansion of our academic community to bring quality education to our students. Our institution-building activities contribute to addressing broader national challenges. In doing this, the principles of academic freedom and the pursuit of institutional excellence have underpinned our efforts.”

Located adjacent to the Nyayabhyasa Mandapam, the world’s largest moot court, India’s first Museum of the Chief Justices extends the vision of India’s first Constitution Museum by honouring the Supreme Court’s guardianship of these constitutional values. It pays tribute to the Chief Justices of India and generations of judges whose wisdom, integrity, and leadership have strengthened the rule of law and enriched India’s constitutional democracy for posterity.

Universities are entrusted with preserving knowledge while nurturing constitutional understanding, critical inquiry, and informed citizenship. The Chief Justices of India Museum reflects this enduring mission by documenting, interpreting, and preserving the leadership, jurisprudence, and institutional legacy of the Supreme Court of India in shaping the constitutional journey of the nation.

Together with the Constitution Museum, it stands as a lasting institution of learning, scholarship, reflection, and public engagement with the ideals, institutions, and constitutional values that sustain the Republic. Through this museum, we aspire to deepen constitutional literacy, strengthen democratic consciousness, foster respect for the rule of law and judicial independence, and inspire present and future generations to recognise that the preservation of constitutional values is a shared national responsibility.

The Chief Justices of India Museum explores justice as an evolving idea, tracing how the Supreme Court of India, through its Chief Justices and Judges, has shaped the nation’s constitutional democracy. It presents the office of the Chief Justice as a living institution that has interpreted, protected, and strengthened the Constitution through moments of national transformation.

By bringing together law, history, memory, scholarship, and public engagement, the museum celebrates the collective legacy of successive Chief Justices and reflects on how their leadership has guided the constitutional journey of independent India through moments of challenge, change, and transformation. It offers visitors an opportunity to understand not only the evolution of constitutional jurisprudence but also the enduring role of the judiciary in safeguarding democratic institutions and the rule of law.

Collections & Experiences

The museum houses an abundance of historical material on the Chief Justices of India and their landmark judgments, alongside an exclusive Oral History Project documenting the lives of the living Chief Justices beyond the Bench. Through these conversations, they share their epiphanies, aspirations, experiences, and inspirations, offering unique insights into the human dimensions of judicial leadership.

The museum also creates reflective spaces through artistic interpretations of significant constitutional judgments and the guiding principles of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity, inviting every visitor to contemplate their own role in the universal pursuit of justice and the preservation of constitutional democracy.

Five Galleries

The museum comprises five galleries, each with a distinct character and purpose.

Gallery I – Pathways to Justice explores social movements and landmark Supreme Court decisions that transformed India’s constitutional landscape through artistic renderings.

Gallery II – Pillars of Justice invites visitors to discover the lives, leadership, and legacies of the Chief Justices who shaped the Supreme Court of India.

Gallery III – Hall of Constitutional Voices preserves the living memory of constitutional justice through archival recordings and oral histories.

Gallery IV – Keystones of Justice brings defining constitutional judgments to life through immersive exhibits that illuminate the process and significance of constitutional decision-making.

Gallery V – Ideas of Justice functions as a sculpture garden that invites visitors to reflect upon their own responsibilities as citizens in upholding the ideals of justice, constitutional morality, and democratic citizenship.

The Chief Justices of India Museum is a space where the JGU community and the wider public can trace the remarkable journey of India’s constitutional democracy, engage deeply with the ideas and institutions that have shaped our Republic, and renew their commitment to the ideals enshrined in the Preamble and realised through the Constitution of India.

At the 39th ACUNS Annual Meeting at NOVA University Lisbon, Professor Bhavya Tandon of Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS) presented a paper on environmental harm from coal mining in India, while Professor Geetanjali Dhankhar examined youth participation in climate governance. Prof. Kaveri Gupta, Dr. Angel Selvaraj, Dr. Vernon Dmello and Dr. Divya Dubey of JIBS also spoke on multilateralism, adolescent well-being and the psychological foundations of community resilience.

At the 27th World Congress of IACAPAP in Hamburg, Dr. Vasundharaa S. Nair, Prof. (Dr.) Mohita Junnarkar and Rohini Malik represented JIBS with research spanning peer support systems, relational distress and cyberbullying prevention among young people.

At the European Conference on Positive Psychology in Dublin, JIBS Dean Dr. Pulkit Khanna spoke on designing evidence-based positive psychology curricula, using gratitude as a working example.

At the 51st National Conference of IACP in Greater Noida, Delhi NCR, Dr. Indupriya B joined conversations on the future of clinical psychology in the era of AI.

JIBS faculty members secures research grant

A research team comprising Dr. Vipin Vijay Nair (Principal Investigator), Associate Professor, JIBS, ; Dr. Girraj Sharma (Co-Principal Investigator), Assistant Professor, JIBS; and Dr. Garima Pal (Co-Principal Investigator), Assistant Professor, Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai, has been awarded a competitive research grant of Rs 7,50,000 by National Law University, Delhi (NLU Delhi).

The research will explore the intersection of crime science, forensic investigation and emerging technologies, with a focus on developing innovative approaches that can contribute to more effective and scientifically informed criminal investigation practices. The project seeks to contribute to the evolving landscape of technology-enabled criminal investigation and forensic practice, particularly by examining how innovative and interdisciplinary approaches can strengthen investigative processes, evidence management and the broader administration of criminal justice. The underlying research is intended to support greater scientific rigour and reliability within investigative processes.

The grant will bring together expertise across criminology, behavioural sciences, forensic science, law and technology, while also fostering research collaboration across leading institutions in the field of criminal justice education and research.

Faculty Development Programme

JIBS concluded its two-day Faculty Development Programme, bringing together leading academicians and publishing experts to equip faculty with practical insights for excellence in higher education.

The programme opened with Dr. Pulkit Khanna, Dean, JIBS, and Dr. Vasundharaa S. Nair S. Nair, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, setting the vision for the sessions ahead. Participants then explored innovative approaches to teaching and assessment with Dr. Amit Gautam, Professor at National Institute of Education Planning and Administration (NIEPA), followed by an engaging session on team building and leadership by Dr. Ruchika Jain, Adjunct Faculty at IILM, New Delhi.

Day two focused on strengthening research and scholarly impact. Dr. Saurabh Sood, Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School and Assistant Dean, Office of the Dean of Research (Projects, Grants and Publications), shared strategies for securing and managing research grants. Ms. Satvinder Kaur, Executive Editor at Springer Nature, guided participants through the evolving landscape of book publishing, while Dr. Raj Kumar Bhardwaj, Assistant Professor at IGNOU, concluded the programme with practical insights on publishing in high-quality journals using AI ethically and responsibly.

At the Excel for Workplace, an open for all learning programme to make everyday data-related tasks simpler and more efficient, participants learned how to use Microsoft Excel to manage data, create reports, and increase productivity.

The Facilities Management Soft Services Programme improved operational learning. The sessions focused on service quality, professional conduct, customer orientation, workplace discipline and operational standards. Participants discussed the importance of consistent and responsive support services for a positive and well-managed campus environment.

The Fire Safety Awareness Programme explained fire prevention methods, evacuation procedures, emergency response actions and correct use of fire safety equipment. The Emergency Trauma Management programme provided healthcare professionals at the JGU Health Centre the opportunity to refresh core skills in trauma assessment, stabilisation of the patient, emergency response and coordinated clinical care.

Employees also had opportunities for professional development outside the institution. The programmes — such as Administrative Excellence in Practice: A Hands-on Programme for Modern HEIs at IIM Jammu and the Pregnancy Study Group in Diabetes Conference in Goa — exposed the participants to the current practices in higher education administration, documentation, communication, coordination and service delivery and recent advances in diabetes management during pregnancy, evidence-based clinical practice and maternal healthcare.

These defense sessions spanned the core domains of law, behavioural sciences, management, government & public policy, and higher education. Each of these seven defenses represented a critical knowledge-building exercise. The intense question-and-answer sessions pushed the boundaries of current theories, offering fresh perspectives on complex societal, legal, and organisational challenges. By challenging existing paradigms, the scholars opened fresh avenues for future research, policy-making, and industry practices.

The bootcamp was led by Dr Nira Rehman, Lecturer and Curriculum Designer, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, and Dr Mousumi Mukherjee of IIHEd. Faculty members of IIHEd and academics from JGU and other universities in Delhi participated.

Discussions drew on the personal and professional experiences of participants, laying the theoretical groundwork for a forthcoming book scheduled for completion by 2027.

The seven-day residential programme for students of Grades 9–12 from 14 June to 20 June 2026 will be hosted at IMAANDAAR (International Mooting Academy for Advocacy, Negotiation, Dispute Adjudication, Arbitration & Resolution), home to one of the world’s largest academic moot court facilities, located within the campus of JGU. Conceived as a pioneering initiative in pre-law education in India, the programme combines advocacy, critical thinking, legal reasoning, dispute resolution, public speaking, ethics, and leadership development into a transformative academic experience for young learners.

For more details, please visit: /imaandaar/summer-programme/

Designed and delivered by distinguished faculty members, legal scholars, advocacy trainers, and practitioners, the programme aims to nurture the next generation of legal thinkers, public leaders, and socially conscious citizens. The curriculum moves beyond traditional mooting and courtroom simulations to equip students with analytical, communicative, and problem-solving skills that are increasingly essential across professions and disciplines.

At a time when critical thinking, ethical leadership, and persuasive communication have become essential life skills across professions, the IMAANDAAR Summer Programme seeks to reimagine how young learners engage with law, justice, public reasoning, and democratic values long before entering university education.

While summer programmes in STEM, entrepreneurship, and leadership are increasingly common globally, structured pre-law education opportunities for school students remain limited in India. The IMAANDAAR initiative seeks to fill this gap by introducing young learners to advocacy, constitutional thinking, ethical reasoning, and public discourse in an inspiring academic environment. The IMAANDAAR Summer Programme at JGLS offers an immersive residential experience in mooting, legal reasoning, negotiation, and leadership development.

Speaking on the launch of the programme, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU and Founding Dean of JGLS, said, “Legal education today requires far more than doctrinal knowledge. It demands intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, ethical awareness, persuasive communication, and the ability to engage meaningfully with complex societal challenges. The IMAANDAAR Summer Programme has been envisioned as an early gateway into these foundational competencies, enabling young learners to understand law not merely as a profession, but as an instrument of justice, democratic engagement, public leadership, and social transformation. Through immersive learning, mentorship, advocacy training, and experiential pedagogy, this programme seeks to inspire students to become thoughtful, articulate, and globally conscious future leaders.”

Professor (Dr.) Dipika Jain, Executive Dean of JGLS, stated, “The programme is a truly transformative and enriching opportunity for young minds. It fosters intellectual curiosity, builds confidence, and nurtures the ability to think critically and independently. Such early exposure to structured reasoning and advocacy equips students with skills that extend far beyond the study of law. Regardless of the career path they ultimately choose, this experience will help them communicate effectively, make informed decisions, and contribute meaningfully to society.”

The IMAANDAAR Summer Programme has been carefully curated to combine academic depth with practical engagement. Participants will receive foundational training in: • Advocacy and Public Speaking • Critical Thinking and Legal Reasoning • Moot Court Techniques and Courtroom Etiquette • Negotiation, Mediation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution • Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility • Research, Argumentation, and Case Analysis.

One of the defining highlights of the programme will be the Grand Moot Court, where participants will engage in simulated moot court proceedings before expert panels. Students will receive first-hand exposure to courtroom advocacy, legal argumentation, and structured dispute resolution while benefitting from detailed feedback and mentorship from faculty members and trained facilitators.

The programme also offers students an opportunity to experience life at one of India’s leading global universities. With its internationally oriented academic ecosystem, interdisciplinary pedagogy, and diverse student community, JGU provides an environment that encourages innovation, inclusivity, critical inquiry, and global engagement.

In the Lecture, Mr. Justice Manmohan said: “Artificial intelligence (AI) needs institutional oversight and enforceable accountability in law. What is needed is that human judgment must remain central even with the use of AI. India requires a clear regulatory framework for judicial AI and it must be developed in Indian context. Capacity building within the judiciary will be required and universities will have to develop courses on ethical, constitutional and procedural dimension of AI deployment.”

Justice Manmohan paid tribute to Dr. H.R. Bharadwaj and said, “Dr. Bhardwaj was a multifaceted personality. He was an author, a senior advocate who was designated by the Supreme Court. He was a Member of Parliament for five times and a minister for 15 years under three Prime ministers. He belonged to a generation where people across the political divide could be friends. His question across five decades was always the same: How do we bring justice to every Indian? And he believed in technology. In fact, the first phase of the programme, which is being implemented in the Supreme Court, the e-Mode Phase one, was launched during the time when he was the law minister. Technology and law have always had a very symbiotic relationship where technology has challenged fundamental concepts of law. All our laws, when they were promulgated, we were dealing with a physical world. Today we live in a digital world. So, when we are applying these laws, are we doing the right thing by applying the same principles? Or do we need a different set of principles?

“AI, the artificial intelligence as we call, is also demanding the same reckoning, but at a pace which is unimaginable and at a scale which is also unbelievable due to its evolving nature. If a computer software programme operates according to rules defined in advance by the programmers, it is not an AI system. But if a system is built using techniques that allow the programme to create rules of its own based on input data or data sets provided to the programme, then it is an AI system. Today, the question is no longer whether they will be used or not. The question is whether their use will be structured by clear principles institutional oversight and enforceable accountability. Keeping in view of the importance of the AI, the Supreme Court has constituted an AI committee chaired by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court to lay down a broad strategy and policy with adequate guardrails.

“The Supreme Court’s White Paper on AI and Judiciary, released by the Centre for Policy Research and Planning in November 2025, is an authoritative statement of where the institution currently stands. The paper positions AI as an assisted technology capable of supporting legal research, transcription, translation, filing, scrutiny, and administrative analytics, while firmly stating that judges must remain the ultimate decision-makers with every AI output subject to human verification. In consonance with our constitutional mandate, there is human oversight all throughout the process. There is also the issue of privacy. Data is collected by consent or not, but what are the inferences that are being drawn and whether the individual who has given his consent is even aware of the downstream consequences?”

In his Welcome Address, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, JGU, said, “This is an occasion of remembrance, gratitude and reflection, a tribute to a statesman, a constitutionalist, a mentor, an institution builder, and above all, a remarkable human being. It was a dream to be able to come to India and be part of an effort to build a world-class university. I had not known Mr. H.R. Bharadwaj before. I wrote to him and shared with him the idea of creating a university in India. This is how the idea of establishing JGU began. I want to begin by expressing this deep sense of institutional gratitude from the bottom of my heart and also from the hearts of more than 16,000 students and 4,000 faculty members and staff of JGU. Dr. Bharadwaj believed that India deserved a truly global university. A university rooted in Indian values but globally engaged. A university committed to constitutional morality, public service and intellectual excellence. He had extraordinary faith in the transformative power of youth and education. Shri Bharadwaj’s contribution is quite extraordinary. He had a deep commitment to the Constitution of India and dedicated his life to preserving democratic values. He oversaw significant legal and judicial reforms and promoted modernisation within legal institutions. He supported expansion of legal aid and initiatives and was a strong advocate for world-class legal education in India. A number of his writings, including books, reflected the idea of India’s history, civilisation, and heritage. He believed education must cultivate humanity and compassion. Legacies survive not only through institutions, but also through families preserved through values and memories and today I also play tribute to his family for their support.”

Shri Karn Bhardwaj, Advocate, shared his reflections on his illustrious grandfather Dr. Bhardwaj and said, “Today is very meaningful for us because not only are we here with our near and dear ones but it’s also the birth anniversary of my grandfather, Dr. H R Bhardwaj. The digitisation of the courts and the use of AI is a very new and very fast evolving aspect of legal practice. And it is something that everybody is engaging with. New entrants into the legal profession come with a very different mindset: they are technology-driven. They believe in electronic case management. And they are really very differently evolved as professional individuals. And as a lawyer in my generation, I believe that this mindset transition has come not just because of access to technology but because of the integration of technology into the legal profession. Today, technology is so deeply integrated in law, and I’m proud to say that late Dr. Bhardwaj has had a founding role in the implementation of technology in our justice system as it stands today.”

Also present at the Memorial Lecture were members of his family including his wife Smt. Dr. Prafullata Bhardwaj, his son Shri Arun Bhardwaj (Senior Advocate), and grandchildren Shri Karn Bhardwaj (Advocate) and Shri Gautam Bhardwaj (Advocate).

The Convention will bring together distinguished judges, scholars, policymakers, technologists, regulators, lawyers, civil society leaders, and institutional stakeholders from across the world to deliberate upon the constitutional, legal, ethical, and governance challenges emerging in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

The inaugural session of the Convention on November 26 will commemorate Constitution Day of India. As part of the celebrations, the Constitution Day Lecture will be delivered by Professor Jeffrey Rosen, Professor of Law at The George Washington University Law School and CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center, USA.

The three-day Convention will feature 44 thematic sessions on constitutional courts and judicial systems, digital rights and freedoms, democratic governance, AI regulation, cybersecurity, emerging technologies, public institutions, and the future of constitutional democracy.

The programme, held on April 28, was attended by Mr. Vijai Vardhan, Former Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana, and Mr. Vikas Gupta, Commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, along with experts including Dr. Dalal Moosa, Ms. Kanta Singh, Prof. Alakh Sharma, Mr. Jagan Shah, and Ms. Amrah Ashraf.

The event began with the release of the Sonipat HDR 2026, followed by presentations by chapter authors highlighting key findings across health, education, environment, labour and livelihoods, governance, spatial transformation, and basic service delivery. The discussion underscored the importance of district-level evidence in shaping equitable and sustainable development strategies. The Sonipat HDR 2026 is designed as a step to strengthen inclusive governance and evidence-based policymaking in India.

‘Documentation of Historic Bazaars of Sonipat’ Exhibition

On World Heritage Day, JIHS, in collaboration with JSDA, presented ‘Documentation of Historic Bazaars of Sonipat’, an immersive exhibition on April 17 and 18 exploring the layered histories, architecture, and lived experiences embedded within Sonipat’s historic marketplaces.

The exhibition offered 360° immersive virtual tours, enabling visitors to digitally walk through the historic lanes of Sonipat; detailed architectural mapping showcasing the intricate beauty and spatial character of historic facades; oral histories documenting narratives and memories of multi-generational shopkeepers; and hand-drawn sketches capturing transformations of the cityscape over time.

The exhibition was led by Prof. Suukanya S., Fellow at JIHS, and directed by Prof. Mrinalini Jha, Director, JIHS.

Study on central government welfare frameworks

An ongoing collaborative research initiative between Welfare Rights and the Law Clinic-II (under the aegis of the Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer Clinic for Legal Aid) and JIHS examines the implementation of central government welfare frameworks on maternal and infant health in Haryana, with specific focus on the districts of Sonipat and Kurukshetra.

The Government of India adopted the Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) framework in 2013 with the aim of addressing the persistently high rates of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in India. The framework was conceptualised to understand and reduce delays in accessing and utilising healthcare services. Over the past decade, the government has introduced a range of welfare schemes and programmes under this framework to ensure assured, dignified, respectful, and quality healthcare at no cost, while strengthening anti-discriminatory safeguards to prevent denial of services at public health facilities.