Commonwealth law meet to discuss impact of globalisation on rights
By IANSFriday, February 4, 2011
HYDERABAD - The impact of globalisation on socio-economic rights, human rights and rule of law are among the wide-ranging issues to be discussed during the 17th Commonwealth Law Conference beginning here Saturday.
Chief justices, judges, eminent lawyers and other legal experts from 53 countries of the Commonwealth will be participating in the five-day conference, which will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday.
Former attorney general and chairman of the organising committee Soli Sorabjee told a news conference Friday that over 800 delegates will attend the conference with the theme ‘Emerging Economies and the Rule of Law: Challenges and Opportunities’.
The conference, with over 60 substantive sessions, will consist of four broad streams - constitutional and human rights law, corporation and commercial law, judicial independence and protection of human rights lawyers and contemporary legal topics.
Chief Justice of India S.H. Kapadia will deliver the thematic address. The keynote speakers include Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary, Lord Lester of Herne Hill, a leading barrister from Britain, Justice B. Sudershan Reddy from the Supreme Court of India and Sir Sidney Kentridge QC, a doyen of the English and South African bars.
President of Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association Mohamed Husain said the conference deliberations would be useful and stimulating in dealing with various issues encountered in the Commonwealth.
Sorabji said the conference returns to India after a gap of four decades. New Delhi had hosted the event in 1971.
“The participants will get to know each other, share their experiences, discuss issues of common concern and will try to evolve something out of it,” he said.
Sorabji also said the conference would discuss common problems like heavy fee of lawyers and expediting the judicial process.
The conference, however, will not pass any resolution and its recommendations will not be binding.
To a query about the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, Sorabji said there will be no discussion on any particular issue pertaining to a country.
However, the issue may come up under the debate on laws leading to regression of human rights and their misuse.
