Guest Lecture: Mr. Arvind Narrain on "The Principle of Non-Retrogression and Queer Rights"

The Centre for Comparative Constitutional Law and Administrative Law, National Law University Jodhpur (CCAL), hosted Mr. Arvind Narrain for a guest lecture on the theme “The Principle of Non-Retrogression and Queer Rights” on June 11, 2022, from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM. on Cisco Webex.

Mr. Arvind Narrain is a founding member of the ‘Alternative Law Forum’ in Bengaluru and works on human rights issues including mass crimes, communal conflict, LGBT rights, and human rights history. He has been a part of many fact-finding reports on sexual minorities in India and was also part of the litigation team, which argued the constitutionality of Section 377 before the High Court and the Supreme Court. Mr. Narrain has been involved with research, writing and practice related to law and social concerns. He graduated from the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) followed by a masters at the University of Warwick on a Chevening scholarship. He is currently in the process of doing his PHD on ‘Mapping the elements of an Ambedkarite jurisprudence’ at the NLSIU. Mr. Narrain is also the co-editor of Law Like Love: Queer Perspectives on Law as well as the Co-author of Breathing Life into the Constitution. Recently, his book India's Undeclared Emergency: Constitutionalism and the Politics of Resistance has been surrounded by massive academic discourse.

The event saw a participation of over 40 attendees, ranging from law students from various law schools to legal professionals from different institutions. Over the course of the lecture, Mr Narrian elucidated the timeline of the evolution of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 right from 1994 to 2018. He further went on the analyze the judgment on its key aspects, namely the emphasis on Freedom to Choose in the Intimate Sphere, expansive interpretation of Privacy and Dignity, and the recognition of the Right to Love. The discussion was based on the elaborate context of constitutional morality and the idea of transformative constitutionalism.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Narrain for having taken out the time to deliver this lecture, and for having ensured that the discussion was thought-provoking and engaging. We also thank all the attendees for their enthusiastic participation throughout the lecture.