Research and expertise for justice

SDG 16.1Research 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).

What the research covers

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

Most cited work

1. Blockchain Technology for Secure Supply Chain Management: A Comprehensive Review (IEEE Access, 2022), cited 189 times.
2. Leveraging blockchain concepts as watermarkers of plastics for sustainable waste management in progressing circular economy (Environmental Research, 2022), cited 99 times.
3. Overcoming water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges in critical regions of the global community (Water-Energy Nexus, 2024), cited 86 times.
4. Blockchain: Future of e-governance in smart cities (Sustainability (Switzerland), 2021), cited 68 times.
5. 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. Source: Garhwal Post, HimbuMail.

  garhwalpost.in

  

• 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. Source: LinkedIn post.

  See also: Former Chief Justice visits the AR/VR Legal Lab, India’s first JustTech Innovation Hub in Events and activities.

  

  

• 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. Source: LinkedIn post.

  See also: Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot 2025, Hong Kong in Events and activities.

  

• 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. Source: Colloquium, Summer school, ACPC 2025, Conference.

  See also: Gender, curriculum and change panel, International Colloquium on Gender and Social Justice in Events and activities.

  

Centres and committees

• Specialist centres. A Centre for Intellectual Property Rights and a Centre for Sports Laws support research and advice. Source: UPES research centres.

  See also: 70 years of the Bandung process, Academia and industry for a strong IPR framework, Building IP awareness with Runway and FICCI, Call for papers: ICIPR-2025, Certificate course on European Union law, Certificate course on fashion law and wearable technology, Conference on new age legal dynamics, Contemporary international trade and the changing global legal order, Distinguished lecture on technology and geopolitics, Faculty development programme on contemporary laws concludes, Fashion law and wearable technology course concludes, Guest lecture on partnership law, India’s foreign policy in a shifting world order, Professor of Practice joins the Vis East board, Renaissance 4.0 space convention, Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, World IP Day panel on music, technology and copyright in Events and activities.

  

• 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. Source: Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot 2025 (LinkedIn).

  See also: ADR Committee Novice 2024, Moot court success, Mootivation 2.0, National Insolvency Law Moot Court Competition 2025, Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot 2025, Hong Kong, Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot 2025, Hong Kong, The Inaugural Gavel, Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, XX Internal Moot Court Competition in Events and activities.

  

• 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. Source: UDAAI Monsoon Report 2025 (Garhwal Post), SDCF, UPES and SCLHR report to the Uttarakhand government (HimbuMail), Just Tech Innovation Hub with Jupitice (LinkedIn), Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot 2025 (LinkedIn), International Colloquium on Gender and Social Justice (LinkedIn), Summer school on electoral systems and governance (LinkedIn), Youth and democracy at ACPC 2025 (LinkedIn), International conference on social media, AI and the law (LinkedIn), Constitution Week 2025 (LinkedIn), Gender, curriculum and change panel (LinkedIn), UPES research centres.

  See also: Expert session on the DPDP Act, Guest lecture on digital rights, International conference on social media and AI, Visit to the Uttarakhand Cyber Crime Cell, Workshop on the legal regulation of generative AI in Events and activities.

  

• 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. Source: International Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Energy Laws.

  See also: Hexa Climate interaction with law students, International Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Energy Laws, Law students at the International Conference on Climate Justice, Masterclass on climate risk profiling and adaptation planning, Ozone Day awareness event, Student paper on extreme weather laws, Vidhi Symposium on environmental law in Events and activities.

  

• Debate and democracy. Vidhi Utsav 2026 includes a National Asian Parliamentary Debate on real-world policy, global politics and ethics. Source: UDAAI Monsoon Report 2025 (Garhwal Post), SDCF, UPES and SCLHR report to the Uttarakhand government (HimbuMail), Just Tech Innovation Hub with Jupitice (LinkedIn), Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot 2025 (LinkedIn), International Colloquium on Gender and Social Justice (LinkedIn), Summer school on electoral systems and governance (LinkedIn), Youth and democracy at ACPC 2025 (LinkedIn), International conference on social media, AI and the law (LinkedIn), Constitution Week 2025 (LinkedIn), Gender, curriculum and change panel (LinkedIn), UPES research centres.

  See also: Book launch: Delimitation and States Reorganization, Inter-college nukkad natak competition, Live poster making competition, Summer school: Elections, Votes and Ballots, Youth and democracy at ACPC 2025, Singapore in Events and activities.

  

• 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. Source: Constitution Week 2025 (LinkedIn), Gender, curriculum and change panel (LinkedIn).

  See also: 5th National Constitutional Law Quiz, Constitution Week 2025, Nyaay Lekh workshop series, SCLHR 33rd panel discussion, Student paper on extreme weather laws, Student paper on tradition and the law, Vidhi Symposium: the Preamble as the soul of the Constitution in Events and activities.