Law Schools – The most appropriate place for students to engage in a series of free, meaningful discussions, deliberations and debates. Students in law school need to indulge in issues beyond the four corners of law for a more rounded academic life. The Informal Discussion Group, NUJS was borne out of this need to stimulate the intellectual labour that undoubtedly embodies law school life. Concept
ualised as an attempt to invite eminent personalities ranging across various fields, to have an informal discussion with students on topics of contemporary relevance and significance, the IDG continues to prevent media presence to ensure that the exchange between the students and the person of eminence is relaxed, frank and insightful. The IDG has had the privilege of hosting the following eminent personalities:
1. Shri MK Narayanan, former Governor of West Bengal and former Director of the Intelligence Bureau.
2. Shri Ravindra Kumar, Editor and Managing Director of The Statesman.
3. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India.
4. Shri Gautam Navlakha, Consulting Editor of Economic and Political Weekly.
5. Dr. Subramanian Swamy, former Union Law & Commerce Minister, Senior Leader, BJP and Petitioner, 2G case.
6. Shri Prakash Karat, former General Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist).
7. Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations.
8. Shri Tathagata Roy, academician and member of National Executive of BJP.
9. Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice of India.
10. Shri Harsh Mander, eminent social activist.
11. Brinda Karat, Member of Parliament and member of CPI (M) Politburo.
12. Shri Dinesh Trivedi, Member of Parliament and former Union Minister for Railways.
13. Justice Markandey Katju, former Chairman, Press Council of India and former Judge of the Supreme Court of India.
14. Shri MC Bhandare, former Governor of Odisha and eminent lawyer.
15. Shri Anuj Dhar, eminent researcher and historian.
16. Justice Michael Kirby, former Judge of the High Court of Australia.
17. Shri Vineet Narain, eminent journalist and anti-corruption activist of 'Hawala Scam' fame.
18. Shri Mohan Bhagwat, Head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
19. Shri Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, independent journalist and educator.
20. Usha Uthup, playback singer and popular performer.
21. General Shankar Roychowdhury, 18th Chief of the Indian Army.
22. Shri R.B. Sreekumar, former Director-General of Police, Gujarat and ADG- Intelligence during the Gujarat Riots, 2002
23. Shri P Sainath, renowned journalist, author and Ramon Magsaysay Award winner
24. Meenakshi Lekhi, Member of Parliament, National Spokesperson, BJP and Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
25. Mr. Manoj Mitta, Senior Editor, Times of India and renowned legal journalist
26. Justice Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice, Punjab & Haryana High Court
27. Professor Sugata Bose, Member of Parliament and eminent historian
28. Shri Rajeev Gowda, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and National Spokesperson, Indian National Congress
29. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and former Union Minister
30. Prashant Bhushan, Advocate and anti-corruption activist.
31. Ms. Meera Sanyal, former CEO and Chairperson of The Royal Bank of Scotland and Leader, AAP
32. Shri N. Gopalaswami, former Chief Election Commissioner of India
33. Shri M.J. Akbar, eminent journalist and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha.
34. Indira Jaising, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court and social activist.
35. Baichung Bhutia, former Captain of Indian national football team.
36. Babul Supriyo, Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Member of Parliament and renowned singer.
37. Derek O’Brien, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and eminent quizmaster.
38. Dr. Radha Kumar, eminent academic and author.
39. Sanjay Rajoura, comic and political satirist.
40. Rana Ayyub, journalist and author.
41. Teesta Setalvad, civil rights activist and journalist.
42. Madhu Kishwar, Noted Academician and Writer.
43. Ramachandra Guha, Noted historian and author.
44. Rajdeep Sardesai, Journalist and author.
45. Prof. Sumantra Bose, Professor of International and Comparative
Politics at the London School of Economics.
46. Jeeja Ghosh, disability rights activist.
47. Anjali Gopalan, human rights and animal rights activist, founder and executive director of The Naz Foundation (India) Trust.
48. Dr. Usha Ramanathan, social activist and expert on law and poverty.
49. Basudeb Banerjee, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal.
50. Swami Agnivesh, human right activist, former President of the World Council of the Arya Samaj and former Education Minister of Haryana.
51. Jaiveer Shergill, Supreme Court lawyer and spokesperson of Indian National Congress.
52. Manish Tewari, Supreme Court lawyer, former Information & Broadcasting Minister and a veteran member of the Indian National Congress.
53. Prakash Singh, Former IPS Officer, ex-DGP UP Police and Assam Police, former Chief of BSF.
54. K Vijay Kumar, Former IPS Officer, Former Head of SVPNPA, Hyderabad, ex-DG of CRPC and Senior Security Advisor to the Government of India.
55. Harsha Bhogle, Indian Cricket Commentator and Journalist.
56. Sagarika Ghosh, Indian Journalist and Author.
57. Justice N Santosh Hegde, Former SC judge and Former Karnataka Lokayukta.
58. Sucheta Chatterjee, NUJS alumna and IFS Officer.
59. Suresh Prabhu, Cabinet Minister, Government of India.
60. Dr. Surjit Bhalla, Executive Director of IMF for India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, Former Member of Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council.
61. Anil Swarup, Former Coal and HRD Secretary, Government of India.
62. Arundhati Roy, Man-Booker Prize Winner, Author and Social Activist.
63. Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Advisory, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
64. Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh International.
65. Yashwant Sinha, Former Finance Minister and External Affairs Minister.
66. Vikramjit Banerjee, Additional Solicitor General, Government of India.
67. Yogendra Yadav and Avik Saha, Founding Members of Swaraj Abhiyan and Social Activists.
68. Chris Parsons and Nicolas Peacock, Partners at Herbert Smith Freehills, and Ms. Shruti Rajan, Partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.
69. Dr. TCA Raghavan, Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan.
70. Gopal Pillai, Former Union Home Secretary.
71. Jawahar Sircar, Former CEO of Prasar Bharati.
72. Justice Jasti Chelameswar, Former Supreme Court judge.
73. Justice DY Chandrachud, Sitting Supreme Court judge.
74. General MM Naravane, 28th Chief of Army Staff, India.
75. Tathagata Roy, Politician, and Former Governor of Meghalaya.
76. Gautam Bhatia, Constitutional Law Scholar and Writer.
77. Shri Sunil Arora, Chief Election Commissioner of India.
78. Dr. Ashok Khemka, Senior IAS Officer.
79. Shri Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner of India.
80. Nivedita Menon, Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Author and Social Activist.
81. Raj Kamal Jha, Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Express.
82. Dr. SY Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India.
83. Dr. Meenakshi Jain, Author and Historian, Padma Shree Awardee.
84. Suchitra Vijayan, Advocate, Author, and Social Activist.
85. Durga Shakti Nagpal, Senior IAS Officer.
86. Dr. Abhinav Chandrachud, Advocate and Author.
87. Manu S Pillai, Author and Historian.
88. Usha Ramanathan, Advocate and Social Activist.
89. Shri Shivshankar Menon, Former National Security Advisor of India, and Former Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs.
90. Shekhar Gupta, Founder and Editor in Chief of ThePrint, Former President of the Editors' Guild.
91. TM Krishna, Carnatic Singer, Magsaysay Award Winner
92. Dr. Jack Drescher, Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst
93. J Sai Deepak, Advocate and Author
94. Dhruva Jaishankar, President of the US Initiative of Observer Research Foundation, Strategic Affairs Expert
95. Upendra Baxi, Distinguished Scholar in Public Law and Jurisprudence
96. Dr. JP Narayana, Founder and President of Loksatta Party, Former Member of the National Advisory Council
97. Dr. Shruti Rajagopalan, Professor of Law and Economics at George Mason University
98. Nitin Pai, Founder of The Takshashila Institution
99. Dr. Tarunabh Khaitan, Professor of Public Law and Legal Theory, Vice-Dean of Oxford University's Law Faculty. The IDG has been useful in helping students develop skills of interaction, interrogation and question those shaping the consciousness of the nation. In an age of ubiquitous 24 hour news channels and talk shows, the IDG and its illuminating discussions is doing its little part in refuting the notion that vehemence is the new name for profundity.
