SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

1Research and expertise for justice

UPES lawyers, researchers and students study and strengthen the law, from human rights and disaster governance to justice technology and international humanitarian law.

The figures below cover UPES research publications on peace, justice and strong institutions from 2021 to 2025 (source: Scopus, October 2026).

104research publications, 2021–2025

1,008citations to these papers

55journal articles and reviews

29books and book chapters

What the research covers

Number of 2021–2025 papers on each theme (a paper can appear under more than one).

Theme	Papers
Law, rights and justice	20
AI, ethics and regulation	19
Cyber safety, privacy and online harm	14
E-governance and smart governance	10
Gender equality and social justice	9
Peace, conflict and security	7
Blockchain and transparency	6

Most cited work

Blockchain Technology for Secure Supply Chain Management: A Comprehensive Review (IEEE Access, 2022), cited 189 times.
Leveraging blockchain concepts as watermarkers of plastics for sustainable waste management in progressing circular economy (Environmental Research, 2022), cited 99 times.
Overcoming water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges in critical regions of the global community (Water-Energy Nexus, 2024), cited 86 times.
Blockchain: Future of e-governance in smart cities (Sustainability (Switzerland), 2021), cited 68 times.
Image cyberbullying detection and recognition using transfer deep machine learning (International Journal of Cognitive Computing in Engineering, 2024), cited 59 times.

The full list of publications, with links, is on the research publications page (also available as a spreadsheet).

Holding the state to account on disasters

In December 2025 the School of Law's Student Committee for Constitutional Law and Human Rights (SCLHR), with the SDC Foundation, released "Uttarakhand on Edge: UDAAI's Monsoon Report 2025", documenting 13 disasters and recommending stronger glacial-lake monitoring, early warning and a unified Himalayan resilience policy to the state government.

Garhwal Post · HimbuMail

Technology for faster justice

With Jupitice Justice Technology, a leader in online dispute resolution, the School of Law launched what the partners describe as India's first Just Tech Innovation Hub, to research and teach technology-enabled access to justice.

LinkedIn post

International humanitarian law

After winning the 23rd Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition in 2024, a UPES team represented India at the 23rd Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot in Hong Kong in 2025.

LinkedIn post

Gender, democracy and the digital age

The School of Liberal Studies and Media hosted an International Colloquium on Gender and Social Justice with the University of Bologna, ran a summer school on electoral systems and governance, and spoke on youth and democracy at the Asian Conference for Political Communication 2025. The School of Law's February 2026 international conference examined social media, AI and the law.

Colloquium · Summer school · ACPC 2025 · Conference

Centres and committees

Specialist centres. A Centre for Intellectual Property Rights and a Centre for Sports Laws support research and advice.
Moot courts. The Moot Court Committee runs the VIII Surana & Surana and UPES School of Law National Insolvency Law Moot Court Competition (online rounds in September and final rounds on campus on 14–16 November 2025) and the XX Internal Moot Court Competition (28 October–1 November 2025) on constitutional and criminal law.
Data protection. On 29 November 2025, a workshop on the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, led by the head of litigation at Axis Max Life Insurance, covered privacy governance and compliance.
Climate justice. Four UPES law students presented papers at the Second International Conference on Climate Justice and Sustainable Environment, run by Gujarat National Law University, in July 2025, including on protecting marginalised communities.
Debate and democracy. Vidhi Utsav 2026 includes a National Asian Parliamentary Debate on real-world policy, global politics and ethics.
Student-led legal bodies. The SCLHR runs Constitution Week, panel discussions and a national constitutional law quiz; the Gender Champions Committee led a panel on gender-inclusive curricula; and the Moot Court and Alternative Dispute Resolution committees train students in advocacy and mediation.

UPES School of Law and Jupitice teams pose together at the launch of the JustTech Innovation Hub — The launch of the JustTech Innovation Hub with Jupitice.

Representatives sign the agreement for the JustTech Innovation Hub at UPES — Signing the JustTech partnership.

Students attend a workshop on the Digital Personal Data Protection Act at UPES — The workshop on the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, November 2025.

Law students take part in the researchers test of the internal moot court competition — The XX Internal Moot Court Competition, 2025.

Sources and further reading

2Access to justice in the community

The UPES Legal Aid Clinic and law students bring legal awareness to people who rarely get it, and learn how the justice system works on the ground.

Legal Aid Clinic. The clinic gives people in need guidance on their legal rights and remedies, and helps students and community members understand basic law and how to access justice.
Chai Par Kanooni Charcha. Informal "legal conversations over tea" run by the Legal Aid Clinic. On 29 August 2025, the clinic's volunteers and the university's support staff discussed domestic violence and the protection the law offers.
Legal awareness camp. On 15 October 2025, students of the Pro Bono Club, run under the Ministry of Law and Justice, held an awareness camp at Cheshire Homes on legal rights, inclusion and the entitlements of residents with disabilities.
Keeping children safe. Under the Srijan programme, the Legal Aid Clinic ran "Good Touch, Bad Touch" body-safety sessions at government schools in Kharakhet, Misraspatti, Kandoli and Hariyawala.
Inside the prison system. Criminal law students visit Sudhowala District Jail in Dehradun with senior legal and correctional officials to understand prison conditions and rehabilitation, and UPES has trained inmates in computer hardware and networking to help them find work after release.

A collage of the Chai Par Kanooni Charcha session with UPES support staff — Chai Par Kanooni Charcha on domestic violence, August 2025.

UPES law students at Cheshire Homes for a legal awareness camp — The legal awareness camp at Cheshire Homes, October 2025.

A trainer speaks to schoolchildren in a decorated government school classroom — A Legal Aid Clinic body-safety session at a government school.

Schoolchildren pose with UPES volunteers outside a government school — Children at a government school near UPES after a session.

Sources and further reading

3Integrity and fairness at UPES

UPES's own rules set high standards of integrity, protect people who raise concerns, and give students and staff fair ways to seek redress.

Zero tolerance for corruption. The Code of Conduct bans bribes, kickbacks, fraud, falsifying records and misuse of funds, and requires accurate accounts and proper controls.
Gifts and conflicts of interest. Staff may never give or accept cash or vouchers, may accept only token gifts worth less than ₹3,000 (which must be reported), need approval to give gifts to government officials, and must declare any personal interest that could conflict with their duties.
Political neutrality. Staff may not use university funds or influence for any political party or cause.
Protection for whistle-blowers. Reports of misconduct are treated confidentially, and complainants are promised complete protection against retaliation.
Fair process. No disciplinary action is taken until a case is fully investigated, and the person concerned is told the complaint and given the chance to answer, call witnesses and cross-examine.
A recognised Students' Union. UPES recognises and supports its Students' Union with resources, mentoring and recognition, alongside student committees that give students a voice and support:
- Governance input: the Student Discipline Committee works with the Proctorial Board and alerts it to ragging, substance abuse, road accidents, harassment, and racial or caste discrimination; the School of Business Student Council, an apolitical body, works for the welfare of its students; and Student Placement Representatives work with Career Services.
- Support for students: Gender Champions promote gender equality, and the Moot Court Committee trains law students in advocacy.
- Social activities: the Sports and Cultural Committees run games, festivals and events all year, and students look after the campus nursery.
Many voices in quality decisions. The Internal Quality Assurance Cell, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, brings together senior administrators, the deans of every school, teachers at all levels, a student representative, an alumni representative and a nominee from employers and industry to review and improve the quality of teaching, research and campus life.
Ethical conduct. A published Policy on Ethical Conduct requires every member of the UPES community to follow the law and university policies on academic integrity, research ethics, intellectual property and financial management.
Redress for students and staff. An Anti-Discrimination Committee, an Internal Complaints Committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, and a Student Grievance Redressal mechanism under the UGC Regulations, 2018, with an email and online portal, give everyone a way to raise concerns.

Entrance to the Control and Emergency Response Centre at UPES — The Control and Emergency Response Centre keeps the campus safe around the clock.

Entrance to the Support Centre for Minorities on the UPES campus — The Support Centre for Minority Groups.

Sources and further reading

4Working with government and public institutions

UPES advises government at local, state and national level, trains officials, researches policy with government departments, and offers a neutral space where people with different views can discuss hard questions.

Local
Regional
National

Expert advice to government. A five-year MoU with NITI Aayog (2017–2022) covered national energy-efficiency policy and state monitoring frameworks, and UPES made a formal submission to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board on gas market regulation.
Advice to state and local government. The UDAAI Monsoon Report 2025 gave the Uttarakhand government recommendations on disaster resilience, UPES faculty advised state officials on the Multisectoral Energy Action Plan of Uttarakhand in May 2022, and UPES experts have supported Dehradun's solid waste management and work with Dehradun Smart City Limited on urban services.
Research with government. UPES carries out policy-focused research with the Department of Science and Technology and UNDP on community resilience, with DRDO on energy storage for remote microgrids, with the Indian Council of Medical Research on heavy-metal pollution and health, and with the National Mission on Himalayan Studies on rural livelihoods in Uttarakhand.
Training for officials. UPES ran a workshop for Uttarakhand Police trainee officers on communication and skills, an intellectual property workshop for policymakers, MSMEs and start-ups with Startup Uttarakhand and UCOST in September 2025, and an energy action plan workshop for state officials.
Regulators and judges on campus. In April 2025 the Competition Commission of India, with its Chairperson as keynote speaker, held a regional workshop on competition law at UPES. The 2024 conference on environmental and energy law brought together the Uttarakhand Forest Department, Pollution Control Board and judicial officers from seven High Courts.
Constitutional values. Vidhi Utsav, the UPES law festival, has hosted Justice U. C. Dhyani, former judge of the Uttarakhand High Court, and Anil Raturi, Chairman of the Uttarakhand Right to Service Commission, on the Preamble as the soul of the Constitution, and Constitution Week 2025 featured a retired judge as keynote.
A neutral platform. Forums such as Himalaya Calling, the Energy Summit, the Sustainability Fair, the UPES International Model United Nations and Vidhi Utsav debates bring government, regulators, civil society, industry and students together to discuss contested issues openly.
Young people in policymaking. The School of Business and the Centre for Public Policy and Good Governance held a youth consultation for the Viksit Uttarakhand 2047 vision, and the annual UPES International Model United Nations lets students negotiate global issues.
Law in the Himalaya. At Himalaya Calling 2025, the School of Law led a session with an NHRC advisory group member and UNDP on climate policy and law for the Himalaya, and a session on empowering women through law in the Himalaya with Prof Alexander Sorokin of the Saint Petersburg School of Social Sciences and Prof Rattan Singh, Vice Chancellor of Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University.

A speaker presents at the Himalaya Calling session on empowering women through law — The session on empowering women through law in the Himalaya, September 2025.

Sources and further reading

Events and activities

124 events from UPES schools and departments support this goal. Each links to the original LinkedIn post.

School of Advanced Engineering

Renaissance 4.0 Concludes with Transformative Dialogues Shaping the Future of Space Innovation

Hosted by the UPES School of Advanced Engineering , Renaissance 4.0 showcased the power of experiential learning and frontier innovation. The convention featured…

SDG 4SDG 9SDG 16

Source	Type	Used in
UPES Principles of Engagement: Code of Conduct	PDF	3. Integrity and fairness at UPES
The Students Union at UPES	PDF	3. Integrity and fairness at UPES
UPES Policy on Ethical Conduct	PDF	3. Integrity and fairness at UPES
Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy	PDF	3. Integrity and fairness at UPES
Anti-discrimination, ICC and grievance redressal	PDF	3. Integrity and fairness at UPES
UPES R&D Newsletter, July–December 2025 (IPR workshop)	PDF	4. Working with government and public institutions
UPES response to PNGRB	PDF	4. Working with government and public institutions
UPES research publications on peace, justice and strong institutions: full list	Publication list	1. Research and expertise for justice
UDAAI Monsoon Report 2025	News article	1. Research and expertise for justice 4. Working with government and public institutions
SDCF, UPES and SCLHR report to the Uttarakhand government	News article	1. Research and expertise for justice
Just Tech Innovation Hub with Jupitice	LinkedIn post	1. Research and expertise for justice
Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot 2025	LinkedIn post	1. Research and expertise for justice
International Colloquium on Gender and Social Justice	LinkedIn post	1. Research and expertise for justice
Summer school on electoral systems and governance	LinkedIn post	1. Research and expertise for justice
Youth and democracy at ACPC 2025	LinkedIn post	1. Research and expertise for justice
International conference on social media, AI and the law	LinkedIn post	1. Research and expertise for justice
Constitution Week 2025	LinkedIn post	1. Research and expertise for justice
Gender, curriculum and change panel	LinkedIn post	1. Research and expertise for justice
UPES research centres	Website	1. Research and expertise for justice
Chai Par Kanooni Charcha, Legal Aid Clinic	LinkedIn post	2. Access to justice in the community
Good Touch, Bad Touch awareness	LinkedIn post	2. Access to justice in the community
Law students visit Sudhowala District Jail, 2024	LinkedIn post	2. Access to justice in the community
Educational visit to Sudhowala Jail, 2025	LinkedIn post	2. Access to justice in the community
How UPES is contributing to the SDGs	Website	2. Access to justice in the community 4. Working with government and public institutions
UPES student committees	Website	3. Integrity and fairness at UPES
UPES Internal Quality Assurance Cell	Website	3. Integrity and fairness at UPES
MoU between NITI Aayog and UPES	News article	4. Working with government and public institutions
UPES and the DST–UNDP Community Resilience Resource Centres	News article	4. Working with government and public institutions
UPES wins DRDO-funded project	Website	4. Working with government and public institutions
Regional Workshop on Competition Law with CCI	LinkedIn post	4. Working with government and public institutions
International Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Energy Laws	Website	4. Working with government and public institutions
Justice U. C. Dhyani at Vidhi Utsav 2025	LinkedIn post	4. Working with government and public institutions
Anil Raturi at Vidhi Utsav 2025	LinkedIn post	4. Working with government and public institutions
10th UPES International MUN	Website	4. Working with government and public institutions
Governor inaugurates Himalaya Calling 2025 (Lok Bhavan Uttarakhand)	Government website	4. Working with government and public institutions

1Research and expertise for justice

What the research covers

Most cited work

Holding the state to account on disasters

Technology for faster justice

International humanitarian law

Gender, democracy and the digital age

Centres and committees

2Access to justice in the community

3Integrity and fairness at UPES

4Working with government and public institutions

Events and activities

Renaissance 4.0 Concludes with Transformative Dialogues Shaping the Future of Space Innovation

Driving the Energy Transition: UPES at the 16th World Petrocoal Congress

Procurement Excellence in Action: Lessons from ONGC’s Supply Chain

Final Call for Papers! Last chance to showcase your research!

Masterclass Alert!

SAKSHAM 2026

Procurement Excellence in Action: Lessons from ONGC’s Supply Chain

Youth Consultation for Viksit Uttarakhand 2047 | Advancing Thought Leadership at UPES SOB

Powering Responsible Leadership in Energy

Celebrating the enlightening Chai Par Kanooni Charcha, organized by the Legal Aid Clinic, School of Law,…

The School of Law, UPES, is proud to share that four of its law students presented their research papers…

The School of Law is proud to congratulate our alumni for their outstanding achievement in successfully…

The School of Law takes immense pride in announcing the remarkable accomplishments of our alumni who have…

Justice in the digital age is complex, but it thrives on insight.

UPES School of Law recently hosted an insightful session titled “Mastering Counselling Skills in Law” with…

UPES School of Law & Jupitice Launch India’s First Just Tech Innovation Hub

Contemporary International Trade and Changing Global Legal Order

Justice in the Digital Age!

In today’s rapidly evolving innovation landscape, collaboration between academia and industry is key to…

At UPES, the Intellectual Property Cell, School of Law, along with Runway UPES and FICCI, is actively…

We had the privilege of hosting Mr. Mayank Bhardwaj (VP - Legal, Hexa Climate) and Mr. Arpit Jain (Chief…

Join us for thought-provoking conversations on current developments in international trade law and policy,…

Every great researcher begins with a question.

Greetings from the Moot Court Committee, School of Law, UPES!

Congratulations to our esteemed alumni for their remarkable achievements!

We are proud to highlight the exceptional research work of Bhaavya Das and Riya Rai (B.A.

We’re proud to celebrate the placement of Kripal Ghosh, of B.A.

We’re excited to celebrate the placement of Divya V., a standout student of B.B.A.

We are thrilled to congratulate Harsh Agarwal, student of B.A.

The School of Law successfully concluded its week-long Faculty Development Programme on “Contemporary Laws…

We are delighted to share that Deepesh Gulgulia, student of B. Com.

School of Law presents FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME on

Legal Odyssey 2025 - A Journey of Law, Learning, and Lifelong Bonds

Legal Odyssey 2025: Where Every Journey Begins with Connection

Legal Odyssey 2025 | Law in Action

As part of this year’s enriching Legal Odyssey journey at UPES School of Law, we invite you to step into a…

The School of Law, UPES is proud to host a special alumni panel ‘Purani Jeans’ bringing together cherished…

SHOW YOUR WINGS!

The School of Law, UPES is honoured to commence Legal Odyssey 2025 with The Inaugural Gavel, marking the…

WELCOME TO LEGAL ODYSSEY 2025!

We’re proud to announce that Krishnakant Dwivedi, a student of B. Com.

Cheers to Varshita Kushwaha, a student of B. Com.

We are proud to announce that Naman Kapoor, student of B.A.

We are proud to celebrate the placement of two exceptional students from the UPES School of Law Viksit…

We’re proud to announce that Vanshika Khandelwal, student of B.B.A.

Charting Excellence, One Success at a Time

Empowering the Future, One Placement at a Time

We are delighted to share that Sakshi Kabra, a dedicated and accomplished student of B.A.

The Technology Club, School of Law, UPES Dehradun, in collaboration with Remfry & Sagar and the Fashion…

We are thrilled to share that Arnab Goswami, from the B.B.A.

We proudly celebrate Vihaan Pathak, student of B. Com LL.B.

We are pleased to announce the successful placement of Shraddha Kothari, a final-year student of B.B.A.

Greetings from the Moot Court Committee, School of Law, UPES !

Excellence meets opportunity at UPES School of Law!

Greetings from Moot Court Committee, School of Law, UPES !

On 29 April 2025, the Professors of Practice - Managing Committee, UPES School of Law hosted an insightful…

Excellence meets opportunity at UPES School of Law!

With immense pride we are pleased to announce that UPES School of Law has today signed a strategic…

We are proud to celebrate the outstanding achievement of Ms. Anushtha Srivastava, a distinguished alumna…

Reflections from a Thought-Provoking Afternoon at UPES School of Law

We are thrilled to congratulate Mr. Mohd.

Bridging Books and Bars | Law in Action!

School of Law, UPES had the privilege of hosting the Regional Workshop on Competition Law today (i.e.

"Celebrating World IP Day: Navigating the Future of Music, Technology, and Copyright in the Age of AI"

UPES School of Law is proud to present an inspiring intellectual experience!

Empowering Legal Minds with the CCI

The Professors of Practice – Managing Committee at UPES School of Law is delighted to host a Guest Lecture…

It was a moment of immense pride and inspiration for the UPES School of Law to host Hon’ble Shri N. V.…