About NUJS
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata, is one of India’s premier Tier-I law universities, widely recognised for its academic excellence, intellectual rigour, and global achievements.
NUJS continues to foster cutting-edge legal scholarship through its distinguished faculty, alumni, and global academic partnerships.
About SACJ
The Society for Advancement of Criminal Justice (SACJ) is a premier academic body at NUJS dedicated to engaging with contemporary issues in criminal law and justice.
The Society focuses on the interaction between criminal law, society, and morality, adopting an interdisciplinary approach that combines doctrinal, sociological, and jurisprudential perspectives.
SACJ regularly facilitates dialogue between students, practitioners, and policymakers to critically examine the criminal justice system and its functioning.
About the Session
Title: Rape on Trial: Due Process, Public Conscience, and the Criminal Justice System – From Nirbhaya to Abhaya.
The session seeks to critically examine the evolution of Indian rape jurisprudence following the Nirbhaya case and the subsequent legal, evidentiary, and procedural reforms.
While the law has become more victim-centric, recent cases such as Abhaya highlight persistent tensions between public outrage, investigative integrity, forensic reliability, and constitutional due process.
Bringing together perspectives from both defence and prosecution, the discussion will explore whether post-Nirbhaya reforms have strengthened substantive justice or merely reshaped its inherent paradoxes, particularly in the context of fair trial guarantees, evidentiary standards, and capital punishment.
Speakers
Adv. Sanjay Hegde, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
Adv. Sanjay Hegde is a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India, known for his work in constitutional law, civil liberties, and criminal justice.
He was appointed as amicus curiae in the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder (Nirbhaya) case, where he assisted the Court on issues of evidence, due process, and sentencing. He is also a regular columnist and commentator on legal and constitutional issues.
Adv. Soumyajit Raha, Practising Advocate & Special Public Prosecutor, Government of West Bengal
Adv. Soumyajit Raha is a criminal law practitioner with over two decades of experience, particularly in the prosecution of serious sexual offences.
He has served as Special Public Prosecutor for the Government of West Bengal and has handled complex trials under the POCSO Act involving forensic evidence, witness examination, and victim-centric prosecution.
Event Details
- Date: 1 February 2026
- Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
- Mode: Offline
- Venue: NUJS Campus, Kolkata
- Registration Deadline: 28 January 2026
Registration Details
Registration Fee: ₹299
Free entry for NUJS students and participants of the 1st SVN NUJS National Trial & Advocacy Competition, 2026.
Food, welcome kit, and certificate of participation will be provided to all participants.
Account Details:
- Account Name: The Society for Advancement of Criminal Justice
- Account Number: 520101247040645
- IFSC Code: UBIN0906638
- Bank Name: Union Bank of India
- Branch: NUJS Kolkata Campus
Register through the link given below this post.
Contact Information
For any queries, please contact at sacj@nujs.edu, or +91 96797 30493.
